|
|
Help with inherited reef tank
A friend of mine set up a very nice 90 gal. reef system, populated it,
then gradually got so busy traveling for business, the system died. He made an effort to save the live rock by putting it in an unlit-but-aerated Rubbermaid can. Naturally everything died but the bacteria in the rock. After a few months, he put the rock back in the tank, and there everything sat for more months, growing slime algae, etc... Two weeks ago, he realized that about 200 of his closest friends were coming over for his 10th Annual Christmas Caroling Party, and he wanted the tank behind the bar in the basement to be more, ummm, attractive. So he called an Aquarium maintenance service and got a quote for getting the tank ship-shape plus monthly maintenance, then emailed me and said he'd rather give the money to me, if I were interested. Since I'm at a point where my living arrangements are subject to change on short notice and I can't really have a tank of my own, and couldn't afford the top-notch equipment he's got on his even if I did... well, for me it's an opportunity to pursure a hobby of mine at a level I couldn't afford, at someone else's expense! So I said, "Sure!" The main problem here was the very short deadline. It had me doing things I wouldn't ordinarily do. (If there's a drawback to pursuing your hobby at someone else's expense, it's that you have to keep in mind that you're not the boss!) But my friend's a very reasonable fellow and he's allowed me to do pretty much as I please, within certain widely-placed guidelines. But the damn deadline... Long story short, The Christmas Party was Saturday night, the tank looked marvelous - crystal-clear with happy-looking fish and critters, but now I've got animals in a tank with water chemistry that's not quite right. Temp. 79 Salinity 1.019 PH 7.9 Ammonia 0 Haven't tested for Nitrite/Nitrate yet. The animals: 4 Green Chromis 2 Clarkii Clowns 2 Yellowtail Blue Damsels 1 Coral Beauty (medium) 1 Yellow Tang (small) 2 Cleaner Shrimp 6 Blue Leg Hermits The tank is devoid of algae at this point, and there is no substrate. Just the old rock that's nothing more than base rock now, with just the bacteria living in it. I plan to add more live rock to re-seed the tank with algaes and other micro-critters, plus about a half-inch of aragonite toward the front of the tank for those that like to forage on the bottom. So, what are your suggestions for getting the water chemistry right? Bring the PH up first? How best to do that? Add the aragonite *first*, as a buffer? There's a kalkwasser generator in the cabinet that's yet to be brought online... I'll be doing more-frequent-than-usual water changes for a time, maybe 10 percent a week for the next few weeks, and I'll gradually raise the salinity to 1.021 that way. But first, I await your wisdom. My humble thanks, --Charlie Henderson |
Help with inherited reef tank
Bring the SG/Salinity up first, this should improve the PH. You'll need to do it slowly, ie. 1/1000 point per day over a few days. Not sure what the conventional wisdom dictates regarding the final salinity level in your part of the world; your LFS should be able to advise on their conditions as a guideline. My tank stays at about 1.024. Once the Salinity is good you can focus on a good buffer if needed, I use Tropic Marin triple buffer which costs about 11 British Pounds or about U$19 at present exch. rates. You'll need a test kit to measure the calcium and alkalinity/hardness. Again you need to make smallish adjustments here and adjust one with consideration to the other. Hope this helps. Regards Chris "Charles Henderson" wrote in message ... Temp. 79 Salinity 1.019 PH 7.9 Ammonia 0 So, what are your suggestions for getting the water chemistry right? Bring the PH up first? How best to do that? Add the aragonite *first*, as a buffer? There's a kalkwasser generator in the cabinet that's yet to be brought online... |
Help with inherited reef tank
Charlie,
It doesn't sound as if you are too far away from where you need to be. See more below... Charles Henderson wrote: The main problem here was the very short deadline. It had me doing things I wouldn't ordinarily do. (If there's a drawback to pursuing your hobby at someone else's expense, it's that you have to keep in mind that you're not the boss!) But my friend's a very reasonable fellow and he's allowed me to do pretty much as I please, within certain widely-placed guidelines. But the damn deadline... Keep a close eye on the A/N/N readings. Two weeks isn't really enough time for a tank to properly cycle, and you will likely see at least a small cycle. If you start to get Ammonia/Nitrite readings ... do water changes. Long story short, The Christmas Party was Saturday night, the tank looked marvelous - crystal-clear with happy-looking fish and critters, but now I've got animals in a tank with water chemistry that's not quite right. Temp. 79 Salinity 1.019 PH 7.9 Ammonia 0 Haven't tested for Nitrite/Nitrate yet. The animals: 4 Green Chromis 2 Clarkii Clowns 2 Yellowtail Blue Damsels 1 Coral Beauty (medium) 1 Yellow Tang (small) 2 Cleaner Shrimp 6 Blue Leg Hermits The tank is devoid of algae at this point, and there is no substrate. Just the old rock that's nothing more than base rock now, with just the bacteria living in it. I plan to add more live rock to re-seed the tank with algaes and other micro-critters, plus about a half-inch of aragonite toward the front of the tank for those that like to forage on the bottom. I wouldn't put any algaes in the display tank. They can become very invasive and hard to control. If you add more LR, be sure that it is fully cured before adding, or again, you'll spark a cycle. So, what are your suggestions for getting the water chemistry right? Bring the PH up first? How best to do that? Add the aragonite *first*, as a buffer? There's a kalkwasser generator in the cabinet that's yet to be brought online... I wouldn't mess with the chemistry via additives. The pH is a bit low, but not dangerously. The salinity is low, but where you want it depends on whether you're looking at a reef tank, or fish-only. Kalkwasser is a great mechanism to maintain calcium, alk, & pH. I'll be doing more-frequent-than-usual water changes for a time, maybe 10 percent a week for the next few weeks, and I'll gradually raise the salinity to 1.021 that way. If you're going to do fish-only, I'd gradually (over the course of a couple weeks), raise the salinity to 1.023. If you're aiming for a *reef* tank, you should be at 1.025 - 1.026. Also, if you'll be keeping mobile invertebrates (snails, crabs, etc.), then you'll need to be around 1.025. The *key* is raising it slowly. After you wait out any potential cycle, and do a couple water changes to bring your parameters in check, you might want to think about beefing up your cleaner crew considerably - a bunch of different snails, maybe a brittle or serpent star, etc. Here is a link to my personal site, I have quite a few reference/setup articles on he http://home.comcast.net/~76fxe/ Also, here is the reef forum/commmunity that I run - you are welcome to visit any time - lots of great information and helpful members: http://www.reefsanctuary.com Take it easy, Teri |
Help with inherited reef tank
In article ,
Teri G wrote: Charlie, It doesn't sound as if you are too far away from where you need to be. See more below... Thanks for your comments, Teri. You've helped put things in clearer perspective... Keep a close eye on the A/N/N readings. Two weeks isn't really enough time for a tank to properly cycle, and you will likely see at least a small cycle. If you start to get Ammonia/Nitrite readings ... do water changes. Yes, I thought that ammonia testing at zero so soon was a bit curious. I guess I've yet to see the spike. Will test every day for awhile. I wouldn't put any algaes in the display tank. They can become very invasive and hard to control. If you add more LR, be sure that it is fully cured before adding, or again, you'll spark a cycle. We're aiming for a reef tank, so I'd like to see some coraline algae in there, if only to give the Coral Beauty something to nibble on. He hasn't been eating much (if any) of the flake or frozen I've been feeding. I wouldn't mess with the chemistry via additives. The pH is a bit low, but not dangerously. The salinity is low, but where you want it depends on whether you're looking at a reef tank, or fish-only. Kalkwasser is a great mechanism to maintain calcium, alk, & pH. Will kalkwasser lower alkalinity and raise PH? If you're going to do fish-only, I'd gradually (over the course of a couple weeks), raise the salinity to 1.023. If you're aiming for a *reef* tank, you should be at 1.025 - 1.026. Also, if you'll be keeping mobile invertebrates (snails, crabs, etc.), then you'll need to be around 1.025. The *key* is raising it slowly. That high, eh? For some reason I thought I was aiming for 1.021. Thanks for pointing that out. Can I just remove some tank water, say a gallon, add a bit of salt and mix well, then return it to the tank? Via the sump, perhaps? A little bit per day...? After you wait out any potential cycle, and do a couple water changes to bring your parameters in check, you might want to think about beefing up your cleaner crew considerably - a bunch of different snails, maybe a brittle or serpent star, etc. Should I put in some live sand first? Here is a link to my personal site, I have quite a few reference/setup articles on he http://home.comcast.net/~76fxe/ Also, here is the reef forum/commmunity that I run - you are welcome to visit any time - lots of great information and helpful members: http://www.reefsanctuary.com Thanks, I'll be there soon! --Charlie Henderson |
Help with inherited reef tank
In article ,
"Chris Taylor" wrote: Bring the SG/Salinity up first, this should improve the PH. You'll need to do it slowly, ie. 1/1000 point per day over a few days. Not sure what the conventional wisdom dictates regarding the final salinity level in your part of the world; your LFS should be able to advise on their conditions as a guideline. My tank stays at about 1.024. Thanks, Chris. I didn't realize I was aiming too low, salinity-wise. Once the Salinity is good you can focus on a good buffer if needed, I use Tropic Marin triple buffer which costs about 11 British Pounds or about U$19 at present exch. rates. You'll need a test kit to measure the calcium and alkalinity/hardness. Again you need to make smallish adjustments here and adjust one with consideration to the other. Does live sand act as a PH buffer, or is that only crushed coral that does that? Thanks again, --Charlie Henderson |
Help with inherited reef tank
Does live sand act as a PH buffer, or is that only crushed coral that does that? Honest answer:- I don't know. I use crushed coral. Many on this NG use Live Sand and would be better placed to advise. Comments? "Charles Henderson" wrote in message ... In article , "Chris Taylor" wrote: Does live sand act as a PH buffer, or is that only crushed coral that does that? |
Help with inherited reef tank
Does live sand act as a PH buffer, or is that only crushed coral that
does that? they both could, however neither really do. to get good buffering out of either your tank ph has to be LOW, you can search groups.google.com for past discussions(look for one from boomer.) but i think for real buffering the ph had to be in the low 7's. if your tank ph is that low, you have other issues besides CC or sand. -- Richard Reynolds |
Help with inherited reef tank
dear Charlie
I would add some life sand instantly! This will help to stabilize your whole Nitrogen Bugdet i.e. Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate. You can't do much wrong with this stuff. Contrary to some other people I truly believe that the big spike of ammonia is yet to come. Even if the ammonia itself will not be too dangerous for the fishes, the ammonia will be oxidized to nitrite, and that IS a killer for any fish. The sooner you get your nitrogen cycle well established the better it is for your fishes. Don't worry too much about salinity right now, it is a bit low but many importers/dealers run their systems on 1.018 or even 1.015. There is one thing that you did not mention, Phosphate. How much do you have? Best wishes from Germany Jens Temp. 79 Salinity 1.019 PH 7.9 Ammonia 0 Haven't tested for Nitrite/Nitrate yet. The animals: 4 Green Chromis 2 Clarkii Clowns 2 Yellowtail Blue Damsels 1 Coral Beauty (medium) 1 Yellow Tang (small) 2 Cleaner Shrimp 6 Blue Leg Hermits The tank is devoid of algae at this point, and there is no substrate. Just the old rock that's nothing more than base rock now, with just the bacteria living in it. I plan to add more live rock to re-seed the tank with algaes and other micro-critters, plus about a half-inch of aragonite toward the front of the tank for those that like to forage on the bottom. So, what are your suggestions for getting the water chemistry right? Bring the PH up first? How best to do that? Add the aragonite *first*, as a buffer? There's a kalkwasser generator in the cabinet that's yet to be brought online... I'll be doing more-frequent-than-usual water changes for a time, maybe 10 percent a week for the next few weeks, and I'll gradually raise the salinity to 1.021 that way. But first, I await your wisdom. My humble thanks, --Charlie Henderson |
Help with inherited reef tank
Just top off your tank's evaporation with pre-mixed sal****er. It will
gradually raise your salinity quite easily. Keep testing the water to make sure you don't over do it. Marc Charles Henderson wrote: Can I just remove some tank water, say a gallon, add a bit of salt and mix well, then return it to the tank? Via the sump, perhaps? A little bit per day...? -- Personal Page: http://www.sparklingfloorservice.com/oanda/index.html Business Page: http://www.sparklingfloorservice.com Marine Hobbyist: http://www.melevsreef.com |
Help with inherited reef tank
In article
, Charles Henderson wrote: Thank, everyone, for your suggestions. I have a better idea now of what I need to do. I'll get some Live Sand in there right away, then see what the PH does after that. I'll start bringing up the salinity with once-a-week 10 percent water changes. I'll get some Nori for the Coral Beauty. And since we are building a reef tank here, I'll get some fully-cured Live Rock, a little at a time. But I'll wait on that till after I know for sure whether this tank is past the ammonia/nitrite spike. Thanks again, boys and girls! I'll be back with more questions, no doubt! Cheers, --Charlie Henderson So, what are your suggestions for getting the water chemistry right? Bring the PH up first? How best to do that? Add the aragonite *first*, as a buffer? There's a kalkwasser generator in the cabinet that's yet to be brought online... I'll be doing more-frequent-than-usual water changes for a time, maybe 10 percent a week for the next few weeks, and I'll gradually raise the salinity to 1.021 that way. But first, I await your wisdom. My humble thanks, --Charlie Henderson |
Help with inherited reef tank
Charlie,
I think everyone else pretty much answered your questions - just to reiterate a couple things... (below): We're aiming for a reef tank, so I'd like to see some coraline algae in there, if only to give the Coral Beauty something to nibble on. He hasn't been eating much (if any) of the flake or frozen I've been feeding. Okay, coraline algae is a different ballgame. When ppl say *add algae* - I think of macro algaes, usually Caulerpas. These you wouldn't want in your display. Coraline is a solid encrusting algae (what gives LR it's "purple" color), and no fish that I am aware of, will eat it. Try some live or frozen brine or frozen mysis for the C. Beauty - see if it will eat that. Will kalkwasser lower alkalinity and raise PH? Kalkwasser is a naturally balanced additive, and will raise both calcium and alk. It also has an extremely high pH, and will raise that as well. That high, eh? For some reason I thought I was aiming for 1.021. Thanks for pointing that out. A good article: http://www.animalnetwork.com/fish2/a.../1/default.asp In summary, 1.025 is the closest to the natural salinity of the reef where most of our critters come from. Can I just remove some tank water, say a gallon, add a bit of salt and mix well, then return it to the tank? Via the sump, perhaps? A little bit per day...? You could ... what most ppl do to raise salinity is simply use sal****er as topoff water (for evap), instead of fresh water. Another method is to simply use a higher strength salinity water for you water changes. After you wait out any potential cycle, and do a couple water changes to bring your parameters in check, you might want to think about beefing up your cleaner crew considerably - a bunch of different snails, maybe a brittle or serpent star, etc. Should I put in some live sand first? If you're going to be adding LS to the tank, I would do this before you do anything else. HTH!! Teri http://www.reefsanctuary.com |
Help with inherited reef tank
You could ... what most ppl do to raise salinity is simply use sal****er
as topoff water (for evap), instead of fresh water. Another method is to simply use a higher strength salinity water for you water changes. just a warning DO NOT do this thru your kalk reactor. you will need to do it manually -- Richard Reynolds |
Help with inherited reef tank
In article ,
Teri G wrote: (snip) Okay, coraline algae is a different ballgame. When ppl say *add algae* - I think of macro algaes, usually Caulerpas. These you wouldn't want in your display. Coraline is a solid encrusting algae (what gives LR it's "purple" color), and no fish that I am aware of, will eat it. Well, you're just full of useful information! Thank you for once again correcting my misconceptions! ;-) Coral Angels do eat algae off rocks, though, right? That's what they're pecking at? I was hoping to get *whatever* it is they like to eat by adding some live rock, but it seems I should wait till the water chemistry is corrected before doing that. MY LFS guy has given me some sage advice, too: concentrate on PH, alkalinity, calcium and salinity first of all. He, along with some others here said I should get some live sand in there right away, so I did that yesterday! Aragonite, anyway. I'll get some sand from one of nature's reefs to seed that with soon, but it's effect on water chemistry should be there now. The Coral Beauty was very unhappy with the disturbance. I kept the silty cloud down to a minimum by pouring the sand down through a length of PVC pipe, but of course the tank clouded up for an hour or so anyway. He was swimming frantically till lights out, hours after it had cleared. I'm really starting to worry about him... Everyone else in the tank seems okay; no obvious signs of stress. Try some live or frozen brine or frozen mysis for the C. Beauty - see if it will eat that. He won't take flake, frozen brine or mysis, and I've tried two different formulations of frozen mixtures, supposedly good for Pygmy Angels, etc... He won't take any of them. He seems interested in food, comes out quickly when the food kits the water and the Damsels go nuts, even tastes some of what's there, but quickly spits it out and then just swims around kind of agitated. Will kalkwasser lower alkalinity and raise PH? Kalkwasser is a naturally balanced additive, and will raise both calcium and alk. It also has an extremely high pH, and will raise that as well. I plan to bring all water parameters into compliance before using the kalk reactor. That high, eh? For some reason I thought I was aiming for 1.021. Thanks for pointing that out. A good article: http://www.animalnetwork.com/fish2/a.../1/default.asp In summary, 1.025 is the closest to the natural salinity of the reef where most of our critters come from. Thanks again, Teri. You've been very helpful! --Charlie Henderson |
Help with inherited reef tank
On Tue, 16 Dec 2003 14:47:20 -0500, Teri G
wrote: Okay, coraline algae is a different ballgame. When ppl say *add algae* - I think of macro algaes, usually Caulerpas. These you wouldn't want in your display. Coraline is a solid encrusting algae (what gives LR it's "purple" color), and no fish that I am aware of, will eat it. Are you saying you don't want any Caulerpas in your display tank? Is that the norm for a reef tank? I'm new at this but I kind of like some Caulerpas in the tank. You have to stay on top of it or it get to be to much but I like the color it adds and it hasn't been that big of a deal yet anyway. Do most reef tanks have no Caulerpas? Ct Midnite http://www.geocities.com/ctmidnite53/fish.html |
Help with inherited reef tank
"Ct Midnite" mreef2.10.muffin@spamgourmet.(nospam)com wrote in message ... On Tue, 16 Dec 2003 14:47:20 -0500, Teri G wrote: Okay, coraline algae is a different ballgame. When ppl say *add algae* - I think of macro algaes, usually Caulerpas. These you wouldn't want in your display. Coraline is a solid encrusting algae (what gives LR it's "purple" color), and no fish that I am aware of, will eat it. Are you saying you don't want any Caulerpas in your display tank? Is that the norm for a reef tank? I'm new at this but I kind of like some Caulerpas in the tank. You have to stay on top of it or it get to be to much but I like the color it adds and it hasn't been that big of a deal yet anyway. Do most reef tanks have no Caulerpas? Ct Midnite http://www.geocities.com/ctmidnite53/fish.html it's really hard, if not impossible, to get rid of it once it's established. if you miss trimming it for a while, it can go asexual and die all at once, dumping a large amount of biological waste into your tank in a short period of time. |
Help with inherited reef tank
it's really hard, if not impossible, to get rid of it once it's
established. if you miss trimming it for a while, it can go asexual and die all at once, dumping a large amount of biological waste into your tank in a short period of time. I do not mind having some Caulerpas.... or any type. CapFusion,... |
Help with inherited reef tank
Charlie,
Charles Henderson wrote: Well, you're just full of useful information! Thank you for once again correcting my misconceptions! ;-) Not a problem, and I hope you don't see it as trying to "correct" you. Just trying to help, and share what bit of experience I've gleaned over the many years of doing this. Coral Angels do eat algae off rocks, though, right? That's what they're pecking at? I haven't kept a dwarf angel for many yeara (beware that most dwarfs will *nip* at corals) - but I do believe that CB's are primarily algae eaters in the wild. This doesn't necesarily mean that they will eat macro algaes like Caulerpa and other display algaes. They may tend to graze more off of the hair algaes. Dried nori (available in most oriental markets as well as large grocery stores) is usually a good choice for algae eaters. Have you tried live brine? Never met a healthy fish who wouldn't go crazy for it. Or, see if you can get your hands on some Cyclop-eeze. On other note - CB's imported from the Phillipines don't always have a great survival record. Capture & transport practices are not always up to *snuff*. I was hoping to get *whatever* it is they like to eat by adding some live rock, but it seems I should wait till the water chemistry is corrected before doing that. MY LFS guy has given me some sage advice, too: concentrate on PH, alkalinity, calcium and salinity first of all. This is good advice, but truthfully, you're going to need to get the fish eating *something* soon. It likely will not survive off of organisms on the LR. As far as your water chemistry, it isn't bad, and you honestly don't need to be overly concerned about ca/alk until you anticipate keeping corals. He, along with some others here said I should get some live sand in there right away, so I did that yesterday! Aragonite, anyway. I'll get some sand from one of nature's reefs to seed that with soon, but it's effect on water chemistry should be there now. Well ... I haven't followed this complete conversation to a T, but are you referring to the possible *buffering* capabilities of aragonite? If so, this has been pretty much disproven. In order for aragonite to "buffer' the water, it would need to semi-dissolve. In order to do this, your pH would have to be so low that pretty much nothing in the tank would survive. This is how a calcium reactor works - CO2 gas is injected into the water, which drops the pH to 7.0 or below. This low pH water partially dissolves the aragonite media, thus making a high ca/alk (but low pH) effluent. If you are instead referring to the denitrifying capabilities of a DSB, it will take several weeks (possibly months), for your sandbed to become truly *live*, and for it to truly become a denitrification factor. The Coral Beauty was very unhappy with the disturbance. I kept the silty cloud down to a minimum by pouring the sand down through a length of PVC pipe, but of course the tank clouded up for an hour or so anyway. He was swimming frantically till lights out, hours after it had cleared. I'm really starting to worry about him... Everyone else in the tank seems okay; no obvious signs of stress. I'd try to avoid changes/disturbances as much as possible for a bit of time. It sounds to me that the fish might be quite stressed - capture, shipping, introduction into a new tank, etc., may all have taken it's toll - and this may be why it is not eating. (snip) I plan to bring all water parameters into compliance before using the kalk reactor. Is it a kalkwasser (Nilsen) reactor, or a Calcium reactor? Neither is truly effective at *raising* levels, but both are wonderful for maintaining them. We use both - if you need any help, just yell. (snip) Thanks again, Teri. You've been very helpful! --Charlie Henderson Any time. Teri http://www.reefsanctuary.com |
Help with inherited reef tank
Ct Midnite wrote: On Tue, 16 Dec 2003 14:47:20 -0500, Teri G wrote: (snip) Are you saying you don't want any Caulerpas in your display tank? There are some macros that I would consider for a reef - Halimeda is very nice looking, but will deplete calcium levels. "Shaving brush" algae is nice looking, Chaetomorpha is okay, not invasive or rooting. Caulerpa, absolutely not (more below). Is that the norm for a reef tank? I'm new at this but I kind of like some Caulerpas in the tank. You have to stay on top of it or it get to be to much but I like the color it adds and it hasn't been that big of a deal yet anyway. I know several people (including myself) who have had horrible experiences with Caulerpa in the display. Given available nutrients, and sufficient lighting, many caulerpas can literally take over a tank in a couple weeks - even less time. It is almost impossible to eradicate once established, and, in many cases, grows much more quickly than it can be controlled. Caulerpas also have a tendency to release toxins, as well as all of the nutrients they have absorbed (nitrates, phosphates, etc.), back into the water column. We recenly had a war with some Caulerpa prolifera that was somehow (no clue how) introduced into our tank. It took hold on a piece of LR, and rooted itself deep into one my favorite sps's - an Anacropora sp. Within only a few days, it had literally grown totally through the coral. I had to remove the entire rock from the tank, and tear apart the coral into several dozen pieces to remove the Caulerpa. Nasty stuff. We have three different Tangs in the tank - none of which would touch the stuff. Do most reef tanks have no Caulerpas? Most that I know of do not have Caulerpa, but may have one or two other macros, as mentioned above. The problem with macro algaes is this -- either no fish will touch it, and it will quickly take over a tank, *or*, the fish will love it, and will have a quick and tasty $20.00 snack. :-) Teri http://www.reefsanctuary.com |
Help with inherited reef tank
The better option is to have your macro algae in a refugium, out of the display
tank. Marc Teri G wrote: Are you saying you don't want any Caulerpas in your display tank? There are some macros that I would consider for a reef - Halimeda is very nice looking, but will deplete calcium levels. "Shaving brush" algae is nice looking, Chaetomorpha is okay, not invasive or rooting. Caulerpa, absolutely not (more below). I know several people (including myself) who have had horrible experiences with Caulerpa in the display. Given available nutrients, and sufficient lighting, many caulerpas can literally take over a tank in a couple weeks - even less time. It is almost impossible to eradicate once established, and, in many cases, grows much more quickly than it can be controlled. Caulerpas also have a tendency to release toxins, as well as all of the nutrients they have absorbed (nitrates, phosphates, etc.), back into the water column. We recenly had a war with some Caulerpa prolifera that was somehow (no clue how) introduced into our tank. It took hold on a piece of LR, and rooted itself deep into one my favorite sps's - an Anacropora sp. Within only a few days, it had literally grown totally through the coral. I had to remove the entire rock from the tank, and tear apart the coral into several dozen pieces to remove the Caulerpa. Nasty stuff. We have three different Tangs in the tank - none of which would touch the stuff. Most that I know of do not have Caulerpa, but may have one or two other macros, as mentioned above. The problem with macro algaes is this -- either no fish will touch it, and it will quickly take over a tank, *or*, the fish will love it, and will have a quick and tasty $20.00 snack. :-) Teri http://www.reefsanctuary.com -- Personal Page: http://www.sparklingfloorservice.com/oanda/index.html Business Page: http://www.sparklingfloorservice.com Marine Hobbyist: http://www.melevsreef.com |
Help with inherited reef tank
In article ,
Teri G wrote: Charles Henderson wrote: Well, you're just full of useful information! Thank you for once again correcting my misconceptions! ;-) Not a problem, and I hope you don't see it as trying to "correct" you. Just trying to help, and share what bit of experience I've gleaned over the many years of doing this. No worries about the "correcting" part! I'm beginning to look forward to your replies. ;-) Coral Angels do eat algae off rocks, though, right? That's what they're pecking at? I haven't kept a dwarf angel for many yeara (beware that most dwarfs will *nip* at corals) - but I do believe that CB's are primarily algae eaters in the wild. This doesn't necesarily mean that they will eat macro algaes like Caulerpa and other display algaes. They may tend to graze more off of the hair algaes. Dried nori (available in most oriental markets as well as large grocery stores) is usually a good choice for algae eaters. Have you tried live brine? Never met a healthy fish who wouldn't go crazy for it. Or, see if you can get your hands on some Cyclop-eeze. Okay. I haven't tried live brine, and I've never heard of Cyclop-eeze... I'll check 'em out. I can't remember the name off hand, but I have tried soaking frozen brine in a lipid protein/fatty acid concoction; the LFS guy highly recommended it. Everyone *but* the Coral Beauty loved it! Good news is, I did see him take some flake food last night - just a couple morsels. Certainly not enough to live on, but it's encouraging to see him take *something*... maybe he won't let himself starve to death. (snip) He, along with some others here said I should get some live sand in there right away, so I did that yesterday! Aragonite, anyway. I'll get some sand from one of nature's reefs to seed that with soon, but it's effect on water chemistry should be there now. Well ... I haven't followed this complete conversation to a T, but are you referring to the possible *buffering* capabilities of aragonite? If so, this has been pretty much disproven. In order for aragonite to "buffer' the water, it would need to semi-dissolve. In order to do this, your pH would have to be so low that pretty much nothing in the tank would survive. This is how a calcium reactor works - CO2 gas is injected into the water, which drops the pH to 7.0 or below. This low pH water partially dissolves the aragonite media, thus making a high ca/alk (but low pH) effluent. Okay, I follow that, and it makes sense. I guess that consensus was to get the substrate in there before tinkering with chemistry. If you are instead referring to the denitrifying capabilities of a DSB, it will take several weeks (possibly months), for your sandbed to become truly *live*, and for it to truly become a denitrification factor. No, I wanted an aragonite substrate not so much for denitrifying (although I do like the idea of extra bio media in the tank), but simply as a place where bottom-dwelling critters can live and clean up detritus. And, the owner's wife has insisted on Blennies. ;-) So much for a bare-bottom tank. The Coral Beauty was very unhappy with the disturbance. I kept the silty cloud down to a minimum by pouring the sand down through a length of PVC pipe, but of course the tank clouded up for an hour or so anyway. He was swimming frantically till lights out, hours after it had cleared. I'm really starting to worry about him... Everyone else in the tank seems okay; no obvious signs of stress. I'd try to avoid changes/disturbances as much as possible for a bit of time. It sounds to me that the fish might be quite stressed - capture, shipping, introduction into a new tank, etc., may all have taken it's toll - and this may be why it is not eating. (snip) Yes, I was cringing and wracked with worry the entire time I was messing with that sand. Inheriting the tank, *with* an artificial deadline for having fish it has complicated things, and has me doing things out of order. But it's not *too* bad, and things will settle down to routine now the basics are in place... I plan to bring all water parameters into compliance before using the kalk reactor. Is it a kalkwasser (Nilsen) reactor, or a Calcium reactor? Neither is truly effective at *raising* levels, but both are wonderful for maintaining them. We use both - if you need any help, just yell. I'm not on-site at the moment so i can't say what model/type it is yet. I haven't really examined it yet... I got a call from the Mrs. yesterday afternoon - she said the tank was leaking, come quick! I got there and found the skimmer overflowing. Loast about 6-7 gallons. Seems the power had gone out in the neighborhood that morning, so everything in the tank shut down. When it all came back online, the level in the skimmer went way up and overflowed... I guess I'll have to do some "all power off" testing to see what's up with that! And ideas on fail-safe skimmer levels? ;-) Thanks, --Charlie Henderson |
Help with inherited reef tank
"Charles Henderson" wrote in message ... I got there and found the skimmer overflowing. Loast about 6-7 gallons. Seems the power had gone out in the neighborhood that morning, so everything in the tank shut down. When it all came back online, the level in the skimmer went way up and overflowed... I guess I'll have to do some "all power off" testing to see what's up with that! And ideas on fail-safe skimmer levels? ;-) Thanks, --Charlie Henderson put the skimmer in the sump if you can. |
| All times are GMT +1. The time now is 04:14 PM. |
Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.6.4
Copyright ©2000 - 2025, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.
FishKeepingBanter.com