How much of a problem can bristleworms be? How much devastation can they cause?

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 bristleworms are considered to be destructive especially

when they get large. I'm sure they eat some polyps, sea mat, gorgonian but that what you will find in the long run...some life forms disappears and others take their 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 bristleworms, examine the tank at night 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, you have to see what develops The only really undesirable creatures are the large bristle worms, mantis shrimp and an occasional isopod although they are fairly rare. For me that’s the really fascinating aspect of the hobby... we don’t know what allot of these creatures in and on 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).

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 & 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. 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 ½" 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 you

begin to have dead spots under and behind the rock where detritus cant not be removed without 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.

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 place 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 unnecessary rock. At that point a rule

of thumb was established.

I was told that the downdraft skimmers 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 downdraft and almost all soft corals with no ill effects at all. A monthly waterchange of say 15% with a high quality salt along with regular calcium, strontium and iodine additions & high turnover rates of water in the tank & proper lighting does the trick for me.

Potential problems with plenums

Yes, I too have had a 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

significant 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 NNR system (a 55 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 i.e.: live sand or rock becomes "unmanageable" regarding nutrient build-up over extended periods

of time.

Overflow Problem

I have a Dutch aquarium with a protein skimmer. 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.

That’s not good at all. I strongly suggest adding a surface skimmer box you should be able to find one at

your local fish store. Until then You should manually remove the algae. 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

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

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. Really

the main cost difference is the live rock cost and with the affordable internet merchants that's not really

an issue.

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.

I would suggest writing 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 How important is it to maintain exact temperatures in the reef tank?

My tank has been from about 70 to max of 87. As long as it is a gradual change 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 , but I would recommend a fan(s) to

keep the temperature down and help with evaporation. I am not a proponent of keeping the tank at an *exact* temp.

I have a brown layer of some kind of algae that's covering some of my coralline algae -- it's no thicker, but is expanding... how can I control it?

Sounds like diatom algae, the remnants of a new tank cycle. It is a possibility that you are feeding too much. Control it with the usual methods such as, manual removal with a bottle brush hermits dislodge it some critters will eat it. When did you last replace your light bulbs? 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 livestock

Is it just a different kind of coralline?

No, coralline is a hard calcareous and usually either pink or purple.

Do your Astrea snails reproduce in your tank ??

I have 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, some gobs of skimmate dropped back down the tube.

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

Should I be worried? No, you should be more careful

How do you clean your skimmer without returning the gunk to the system?

Carefully & often wipe out the inner neck with a paper towel and you can be less careful in the collection cup. I use the paper towel in a wiping *up* and *out* motion Also disconnect the skimmer at *least* 1x pr Mon. and wash 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. There are 3 kinds of skimmers, a counter current uses small pump & airstones, a Venturi that uses larger pump and a Venturi valve restrictor and small air intake. The downdraft has a TALL approx 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. 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 approx 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 & another main pump 1200 gph for the main

What is your recommended dosage for Lugols? I have a 55 gallon tank.

First I would test the tanks water to determine the level of iodine. Natural salt water has approximately 6ppm. If the tank is below this 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 .I would recommend to start slow ... as each tank differs as to demand, skimmer removal and maintenance (water changes). I believe 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.

I see from what I have read in your book so far that you use Coralife Salt.

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.

That’s 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 Coralife mix is probably highly buffered, That’s 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 waterchange? For a waterchange 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? To further explain my situation, 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 &

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 & layout of eggcrate" and the 3rd paragraph on pg. 84 and pg. 86 & 87 "positioning & 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 was wondering if you had tried some of the other less popular filtration systems ?

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.

Adey’s 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 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. Do you think it’s a problem?

When you did the water change did you…

• Match the salinity?
• pH? temp?
• Did you use a quality salt? Like Instant Ocean or Coralife?
• Did you change anything else?
• If you answered yes to all but the last question your polyps should be fine.

How much did you change? It sounds like you probably changed at least 30% or more and that's why

they are reacting as they are.

Star polyps are hardy but are giving you some experience as to the sensitivity of the corals. I recommend

to change 12% every 2 weeks that's a very good maintenance schedule. If you don't follow that... at least

try and be consistent with smaller amounts. Water changes IMO are the best maintenance you can do and

helps eliminate guess work as to adding trace elements etc. I think your corals will be fine just possibly

rethink your maintenance plan.

I understand the goals of the water treatment equipment, and the function of the live rock filter. I'm planning for a high intensity lighting system so I can keep a wide variety of corals, hence the water quality is paramount.A "wide variety of corals" will have a equally wide variety of demands. As you know I am not a proponent of extreme wattage. 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 high light SPS tank will consume allot of calcium, so a calcium reactor may be in order and depending on your physical location the heat from the lamps & 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 very costly.

Why have a prefilter at all? Won't the pump impellers chop everything up so that the protein 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 it 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....

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 do you think about a passive wave maker?

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 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 water flow that's where the actual swirling takes place and the area to remove debris.

I do not plan any vacuuming from the top either unless absolutely necessary to clean the rocks.

The rock should be frequently vacuumed of detritus

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.

No that does not really happen. If anything did ever die I would think the scavengers to get it. Once the tank is set up you just leave it alone and mother nature takes over. 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 or 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 appeared... should I be concerned?This is typical, 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.

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 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 & buffering of it. Personally I

would try it with out 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"

In my experience adding plenty of kalk only...with regular water changes using a HQ salt, will give unreal

coralline growth.

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 rinse out thoroughly with a hose monthly.

How can I calculate heat temperatures/distance of the lighting cover so I can select the right

cover the first time?

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 pride and joy!

That sounds *very* conservative to me. 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 a *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.

Do you suggest that ETS skimmers kill plankton?

No, if the refugia is sufficiently separated via flow this will not be much of an issue.

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 & after

the WC and see how much of a difference it is

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 I cant seem to keep snails alive very long.

Some of them are not long lived and are sensitive to any cycling ammonia/nitrite. Some, believe it or not are 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 more snails, 45 for $45 deal is this a good idea

Yes, that’s a good idea. 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. Also you should dose kalk *very* regularly make sure to do that. 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

What do you feed a Mandarin fish? Mandarins primarily eat copepods 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. If you have a mandarin the best suggestion is to feed it live brine shrimp or have a refugium that can support enough live food for the fish.

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

with known parameters, 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 it doesn't pay to cut a corner 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 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. Below is my interpretation of the "Berlin"

The "Berlin" uses approx 1.5 to 1.75 lbs. per gallon of liverock and a minimum sand covering for a substrate (just for looks to cover the bare bottom).strong skimming = to turning the volume of water a minimum of 6X per hour more would be better. A prefilter is usually located in the overflow or in the sump this is to minimize particulate matter either through the skimmer or the tank (basically a mechanical filter that is not allowed to turn biological. Proper lighting wattage & spectrum is also used for the photosynthetic livestock to consume

nitrate in the process of photosynthesis. This will handle the bioload of an "average" amount of livestock i.e.: not overstocked the end results using this system are very low or zero nitrates. This is the preferred system and algae and denitrification problems are minimal.

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, you have borderline acceptable levels now. But, you don’t have the mechanism for

denitrification so by adding more fish etc without 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 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.

2). The LFS that do stock it, only stock very poor quality rock.

The live rock is used for the reef so denitrification can take place ...hence the low nitrate readings.

That’s 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 liverock or sand

will cause problems with high ammonia & nitrite during the cycling dieoff process usually this will stress

out the existing fish, corals or inverts. If you wanted to add the new rock or sand I would recommend to either relocate the livestock n the tank or cycle the new live rock in a new garbage can or similar container. Once your new live rock cycles then you will know it to be safe to add to your tank.

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. Particularly where you need high wattage for Stony polyp corals or clams, also where space is limited and one desires higher wattage. 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. And a final suggestion is to select your creatures very carefully as to light requirements.

I have a couple of MH 175 watt Coralife 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.
• Gives a less cluttered look to the top of the tank....more high tech looking.

• 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 & Alkalinity.
• Lamps are fairly expensive (but what isn’t) they are from 80 to 100 ea. and need replacing in a year

sand but not have the sand compressed. I really want to have the added biomedia of sand.

You can have some sand in the front but by using the liverock...that much 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.

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, although 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, 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 does help and live sand or aragonite do have buffering capabilities, but you cant totally rely on it for complete buffering.

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 Instant Ocean mix & test the batch it should be 8.2 from there you add kalk regularly for make up water 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 a salt fish tank anymore, my question is can I clean and use this rock ? And can I 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 biological filter media IF you didn't have enough media in the sump 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 is being produced. One 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 bio-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.

Eggcrate. 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?

The important consideration 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 light pencil marks can give you a picture of the angle and lengths of pieces. Most vinyl tile floors have 12" squares so its pretty easy to get straight lines and increments in ft in regards to "dry fitting" the material. 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 pieces, but don’t worry...that’s 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 & 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.

I am concerned about my hermit crabs and snails falling off the eggcrate structure and not being able to climb up back on. As far as creatures "walking out" That seems very logical but I've not experienced it.

What do you class as low nitrates? I am thinking of adding a few inverts to my aquarium but I

have heard you need to have a zero reading of Nitrates to be successful. Mine are 15.

Low is 10 or below. 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 indicate a *balanced* system. Although while getting to the state of

balance, low nitrate reading are also common and not harmful.

Nitrite levels/ Cycling

My tank has been setup about a week and the nitrite level should start to drop shouldn’t it? Will/is something causing it to slow its cycle?

No, nothing is slowing it down (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 until you get a zero ammonia and nitrite readings

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 & 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 & nitrate reading

before adding creatures?

You want to add ALL the live rock and then get a zero ammonia & zero nitrite reading. Depending on

how much die-of is on the rock will determine how long the cycle takes.

Usually, you will go from low ammonia to an extremely high reading...then zero.

Then the nitrite begins again from zero to extremely high... then zero.

You will then get a faint nitrate reading indicating a complete cycle, that's when you can add your

livestock. Providing you have enough liverock & or sand something like 1.5 lbs. per gallon you should

experience near complete denitrification on a regular basis.

Low nitrates are usually not a problem to maintain in a reef tank.

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 good, use common sense. Here are a few more tips.

• Open as many windows as possible
• Use as many fans as you have exhausting out the window
• I would possibly shut the whole tank down during painting say for 4 to 6 hours maybe 8 hours
• This may keep your circulating water less likely to "pick up" anything and I would TIGHTLY cover the tank with plastic even duct tape if needed and use a heavy blanket to deflect fumes also don’t forget the sump.
• I would use as many precautions as possible.

Wouldn’t this help lower my evaporation rate?

Evaporation is good ! It gives you an opportunity to add Kalkwasser to build calcium and raise pH not to mention substantial cooling in the summer months. In fact you can increase your calcium levels with forced evaporation. Adding fans in the hood or blowing on the sump will require more top off water with Kalkwasser.

For a tank cover would thin acrylic be better than glass?

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, the fish will 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. Fish produce waste, ammonia & phosphate ammonia will get broken down

to nitrate and eventually nitrogen gas, but the phosphate will still have to be dealt with by 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

that direction. Really with all that rock in the tank I don't see allot of happy fish unless they are very

small. Trying to have allot of fish may end up ruining allot of live rock.

Basic modern reef principals are

• 1.5 to 1.75 LB live rock
• RO or DI tap water elevated pH & calcium via: Kalkwasser
• Strong lighting with proper spectrum
• Strong protein skimming
• Good turnover rate of water tank gallons 6x per hour
• Minimum fish and mostly if not all algae eaters
• Photosynthetic livestock

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 &

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 duration’s 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 difficult 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 new

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, until you have a full Cycle. When you have zero ammonia & nitrite with a faint nitrate reading then you are ready for hermits or snails.

Drip plate Construction & 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?

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 something similar. 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 & sides &

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 pieces under the driplate are pieces 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 prefilter material. One of my adamant recommendations is to frequently change & or clean the prefilter material (weekly). The material I find to work well and affordable is the Marineland cut to fit its like ½" 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 component would also be known as a mechanical filter.

How difficult is Plexiglas to work with?

Plexiglas is very easy to work with once you can get comfortable with it. One of the main concerns is to get the correct adhesive. This is found at good suppliers i.e. yellow pages under 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 pieces and the slow is good for building up and a permanent bond. 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.

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 =approx $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 hmmm, 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(drip plate) and then *drips* through evenly depending on the amount and size of your holes. As the drip holes are fairly even this disperses the water evenly through the prefilter material. What will really

Also, what are the advantages of placing the prefilter AFTER

A good skimmer will be able to handle the bulk of waste. Then the prefilter filters out any remaining

particles. It sound contradictory prefilter after should be FF (final filter) but having the prefilter before the skimmer it tends to get crudded up and could seriously restrict the flow of water.

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 through the prefilter material. Also, a properly designed and placed DP will provide desired air / gas exchange and introduce substantial oxygen into the water.

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,

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. In this example 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. Its 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". 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 to have 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

2 1200 GPH pumps one for the skimmer other for the main return so that’s 2400GPH X 24 hours

or 57600 GPD

4 - 1 1/2" PVC overflows drilled through the upper back of the tank an ETS

The outflow of the skimmer is 1 1/4"

My DP is 10x22x3 with I would guess about 200 1/4 in holes

The DP always handles the water but it looks pretty busy!

So I would try and shoot for 1/3 of the top of sump with 1/4 holes spaced approx 1 to 1 ¼" apart.

My overflow is noisy what can I do?

If the noise is coming from the drain pipe from the tank you may have to install a vent covered with a

small piece of sponge as a muffler. What I usually suggest 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). If you mean noise in the sump... some eggcrate placed diagonally under the drip plate will minimize the sound acting as a baffle.

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 drip plate, then through the prefilter material, that

will eliminate any bubbles. Usually this is a problem when the return from the skimmer is in the same area <the 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 no concept is set in stone and individual circumstances can dictate straying from a particular method. Using other methods you will need other modifications such as a block of foam, some floss material to trap the bubbles, or Plexiglas 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.

Water flow. I am trying to get good circulation with powerheads in 6' long 2' deep tanks.

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. As described in my book. One excellent method is to use a surge device which works great but

its a bit noisy. My device consists of a 10 gallon container that siphons out in 1min. and takes approx 10 min to fill. I have been thinking of doing one with a 1 ½" 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 Little Giant 1200GPH 1 for the skimmer 1 for the main and 10 gall surge device. For some the SD (surge device) 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 using a SD then a small Mag drive pump possibly on a random timer

Kalkwasser. 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. By using a high quality salt mix i.e.: Coralife or Instant Ocean 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 (water change) 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 and Pickling lime. What does pickling lime do for the reef tank?

Pickling lime is food grade calcium hydroxide. What it does is elevate pH adds and maintains calcium.

I cannot find Balls Pickle Lime

After checking all the stores in my area... Super Kmart, Super S&S, Big Y, 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 pack. (master canner) for $14.20 + $6 for shipping.$20.28 for 12 lb. Their phone number is 1-800-240-3340. They are in Muncie Indiana (apparently the canning capital of the nation)

Should I be concerned with any

Yes, 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.

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 substantial cycle happening with lots of ammonia then nitrite,

Bacteria additives

I have used several products, years ago and at best they were false hope. I would recommend adding

all

from 2 weeks - 2 months depending on the live rock. You have to be very patient

process!! Just let it happen, naturally. And it will happen! 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 the live rock first.. substantial 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

Is it a good idea to have a small fan blowing over the sump to cool the tanks water?

Yes, that will help cool it some also it will significantly increase your evaporation which can also be desirable and a good opportunity to add calcium hydroxide to boost your calcium levels. Is your sump enclosed under the tank? Is the skimmer in sump? That will make for less cooling. Keep in mind the more out of water the components are the better they 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. Temperature 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 80. An absolute minimum of 76 degrees to maximum of 86 degrees. Avoid the minimums and maximums for extended periods of time and try to maintain around 80 degrees.

Algae

I have small amounts of bubble algae growing what do you think should be done?

Usually 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 hair like algae...streaming upward to the top? That’s usually from using non purified tap water.

Should I take the rocks with bubble algae on it out and remove the bulbs with tweezers?

There are 2 types of bubble algae, the filamentous kind described above, the other real bubble algae is Valonia

I scrubbed a few rocks yesterday, and it helped a lot, but it wasn't fun...

Again, it is unnecessary and unproductive to remove the rock and scrub in a different bucket. Scrubbing the rock in the manner you describe does not address the root cause. When you put the rock back in (to the questionable water you are back to square one). You know how strongly feel about TWP (tap water purification) 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?

It will go away faster

I used carbon-filtered water to fill the tank previously. Should I test for phosphates/silicates? You are already IN, you have algae and do not use TWP so testing now is a bit too late. Most test kits unless very high quality wont/cant get reading low enough that will cause algae. Carbon filters are very good to have inline with DI or RO however by them selves the are inadequate for most reef applications.

Algae Blooms

I think I mentioned I changed my bulbs late and the algae bloomed.

Hum...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 (tap water purification)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, I’m just trying to pass along my observation. At one point in the hobby I have had exhausted lights with no algae, then did some changes to the tank rearranging the liverock, used TWP with bad resin then had a severe out break of algae. In my experience not using RO / DI TWP will be the most significant contributor to hair algae.

Manually removing algae

It can be difficult to get all of the algae, purchase a plastic bottle brush, approx 1 ½" diameter by 6"

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 and keeping the glass clean.

Does high wattage light contribute to algae? Depends on your water quality you can have allot of wattage IF.... you have excellent water quality and are prepared for the expense of running it.(and or possibly over lighting the tank) If the WQ(water quality) diminishes it = algae. Problem algae is caused by inadequate initial TWP inadequate skimming (undersized) infrequent WC too many or too few fish too much or too little liverock, live sand plenums, silicate, phosphate, nitrate also detritus buildup and over feeding your fish. 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. They are very good algae eaters stay away

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 pellets. If you

start out using basic food your fish should get accustomed to it and will keep you from unnecessarily

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).

Large/growing hermit crabs.

Large hermits 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 ¾" + shell size. Large hermits have a voracious appetite well above and beyond

"normal" feeding of the tank.

What about providing larger shells for my hermits?

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 . 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 ½" to ¾" 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.

Blue leg Hermit Crabs grow much slower than the reds and in my experience 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 your LFS (local fish store) as they can be destructive and have an incredible appetite.

Can you tell me about gray plastic-nylon insert fittings.

Those are nylon insert fittings and very useful, inexpensive and safe. The insert fitting ideally relies 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.

My opinion is that UV "Sterilizers" have no practical benefit in the reef, they can & 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

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.

That sounds like a very fair price. I prefer a drilled tank IMO it is more trouble free and will not interfere with the light canopy. 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. So that sounds like a very good deal indeed. Although many tanks have a hole through 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 commercially available tanks have a tempered bottom and that cannot be drilled. You will have to check your tank if you are planning to drill through the bottom.

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 sump, in turn getting pumped back into 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 plus on electrical

safety around the tank.

What does one do if the fish become infected with "Ich". I understand that copper is not an option.

For the infection my approach is... Raise the temp to 85 degrees then increase slightly over time to 89 /90 this speeds up the life span of the parasite (they dislike high temp) do this gradually like in a 24 hr period. When complete approx up to 2 weeks (it may be as short as one week) reverse the procedure gradually. and decrease the salinity to 1.017 (in that low range approx) for approx 2 weeks again gradually and when reversed do it gradually. And Or Buy a few cleaner shrimp (scarlet cleaners) these critters eat parasites off of the fish also they are extremely hardy and beautiful retail 15 - $20 get a few there a great addition.

I myself would not

Increasing the temperature speeds up the metabolism of all creatures and diminishes oxygen content in the water. If you have relatively few fish and soft corals you should be fine but if you observe stressing gradually reverse the process and employ the Scarlet Cleaner shrimp.

I have a blue Damsel that's been in my main tank for since setup 8 mo.'s ago. Nothing to stress

it- water quality good, no new fish or anything has been added.. Question: It has only two white

specks ( that look like ICK), on it's mid-body. The fish seems in perfect health. These spots have

been on the fish for 10 days. No more have appeared. all other fish are fine. What should I do? I

do have a quarantine tank if I could ever catch it.

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 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.

As far as getting the damsel out your best bet is to take out the rock to net the fish. Saltwater fish are pretty

smart so I doubt you will catch him while there is live rock in the tank. If you have a small tank its pretty easy like up to a 55. A large tank with a considerable amount of live rock would be a nightmare. So, Its important to remember putting something IN can be difficult to take OUT.

My problem is I can't get the clownish 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? Possibly 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

could’t keep him away from it.

I'm ready for my first order of inverts. So for my first order, I was thinking of:

3 dozen blue-legged hermits

20 Astrea Turbo Snails

2 cleaner shrimp

1 anemone (any suggestions)? I want something that will host a percula clown.

A decent low care symbiotic, is the pink tip with small clowns. For a beginner its probably better to stay away from the symbiotic clowns/anemone they usually move around and may damage your future corals.

Also symbiotic anemones can be a little difficult to keep unless you have a species tank. It can be done but then complicates matters. Although its not symbiotic, I would highly recommend the pineapple anemone AKA rock anemone they are about 4 to 5 in diameter. That has to be one of the hardiest creatures going... very nice looking but extremely low maintenance, low light, medium light, higher light it does well in all. Stationary, once it attaches it stays there doesn't bother anything at all. It can be fed or not fed its an amazing creature and at about $4 you cant go wrong. If the supplier has these most definitely get one you will enjoy it!

I'm getting some nasty brown algae growth on all bare areas of the live rock. It's really ugly... how can I get rid of it?

Are you using a RO or DI water? You should... This could be a temporary algae cycle situation... although if it persists you may have to consider TWP tap water purification. Until then you can / should remove the

algae with a plastic bottle brush as I describe.

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 the only tip is to put the snails flesh down so they are not vulnerable.

What is TWP?

Tap water purification 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 prefilter before the actual purification. Using DI

or RO will greatly reduce any problems with micro algae (the bane of reef tanks) it also allows the

high quality salt mix 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 & 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 at 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 & water changes easy. The DI has less connections to fail, less expensive to maintain and overall easier to use.

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 and usually changes from a purple to gold when its expired.

How much evaporation make-up water will be required (estimation of course).

For a 75 gallon 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 its better not to have it hanging around too long. I would estimate you re supplying your fresh water reservoir weekly.

I want to make up water in advance for evaporation and water changes. Do the systems in magazines

for R/O fit under sink ,on the 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. It can be a big

deal as to where you can put it (for RO you will need a drain)

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, 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?

It sounds like a nice RO system but, in a long term application 4 stage membrane,waste water unless you plan to have a drain nearby or can transport the water conveniently, I would find a one

stage commercial deionizer they hold one gallon of resin. Using a one stage is a extremely easy to use and produces very good quality water. All you have to 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. Its less expensive and easier to use.

I use activated charcoal an Omni filtered tap a carbon filter and it's been about a month since its

been changed.

I’m sure you know that most use RO/DI. That will significantly improve your source water. This is a very

important aspect for long term success. 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 without it.

Why 3 carbon pre-filters?

I belive using fairly inexpensive carbon pre filters extends the DI resin, I have 1 single cartridge that gets replaced 6x per year a double that gets replaced 3xper yr and the DI resin 2x per yr. The

first cartridge acts as *THE* prefilter the second dual acts as a semi prefilter.

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.

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

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, thats quite a bit, especially for someone who is starting and will be very costly to run

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.

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 &

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, however the survey shows an average of 5 WPG

I have been wondering if its possible to power HO Fluorescent with standard ballasts. Specifically, can 2 40 watt 24" HO lamps be operated on a NO or standard ballast designed to power 1 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'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. 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, the 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 & 2 MH is costly and running high wattage day in & day out is also expensive. If you choose high light creatures from the beginning...then basically you are committed to substantial long term 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

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. The 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. The halides depending on the fixture wether if it is enclosed with the VHO canopy, 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.

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.

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 downdraft 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. Have patience.

Moving I am moving in about a month. Do you have any suggestions?

I moved last year in sept here are some tips and.

Get someone to help you as a gofer and helper definitely needed.

Mix up plenty of new SW a few days in advance for the new water change spillage and oversights.

Devote the day to the tank move only unless you have a bunch of friends moving other stuff. Just

you & a helper for the tank.

Save 2/3 of tank water in clean plastic jugs. or maybe a trash can new clean 1/2 full double lined

Bag fish in individual bags and place in standard Styrofoam shipping boxes.

How do I protect corals from moving around?

I placed them same as fish & inverts body up try not to use an oversize bag

I plan to drain tank down till only 1-2 inches of water above live sand.

Thats risky! Its very easy to break the tank. I would take out as much water as possible and

then have a 3/4 in piece of plywood say 6" bigger all around to carry the tank with placed under the

tank as a base stabilizer.

I am a believer in taking down the tank so this is an opportunity to clean your rock a bit. As you take out

the rock have a 5 gal bucket of water from the tank and vigorously switch dunk the rock. You will be

amazed

disgusting looking after about 5 pieces dump it and siphon again from the tank. That way you are using the

1/3 water you plan to change the rock on the bottom will be the worst. When you do this you will see

what I mean. When you remove the rock take it out & 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- that is 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 help transfer the water.

When I moved my 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 salt water.

Fish Eating My yellow tank does not want to eat. Are they finicky eaters?

I would suspect your supplier of the fish. Not all fish are handled the same. Yellow tangs are very

hardy and very easy to take care of especially in the parameters you keep. As far as keeping them

fed, 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. 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. The water displacement is a see and do as you go process.

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 and will dictate high lighting to the rest of the tank.

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

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.

PUMPS The little giants come in 2 models flow or pressure.I used your formula (125galx6=750+20%

=900gph) correct?

Yes that’s rite, for the skimmer you would want the pressure and for the tank spray bar use a flow pump.

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 flow 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 downdraft and tank will be anywhere from 4 to 6 ft above the floor so it is a good idea to add a percentage to compensate for the increased head pressure.

Their is not much difference in price between models MD3QX-SC- (freeflow) 875gph and model 4

@ 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

Iwaki's come in 2 versions American a little more than little giant and Japanese quite a bit more, what is the difference?

From what I understand the Japanese is the highest quality. The American slightly less quality and a bit louder in operation. 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 Little Giant pumps aren’t loud but to some people they are. Some folks like to have everything silent

Iwaki Japanese = Highest quality silent

Iwaki American = Superb quality

Little Giant = Good quality & affordable.

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. I would suggest reading the chapter on plumbing again to familiarize yourself with flow rates.

First determine how much water you plan to pump? In my case 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 ½" will do 1200GPH or that's

400 GPH per fitting.

My only question is what placement of holes would you recommend? How far from corners, from top of tank,etc.

From right to left 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 ½" 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 (correct)?

That depends, if you will have a completely closed canopy you will need to have the return drilled. Using a

semi open light box (open back) you can go up and over with no need to drill. I would recommend 3 1 ½" bulkheads, a right one and a left one and 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. The extra bulkhead can easily be plugged or controlled.

Tank Building / Sizes / Considerations

I was replying about my tank size (48Lx24Wx22H) I'm limited to a 4ft length and found this style,is it alright?I used your bottom sq ft formula and came up with almost 10.

I calculate that to be 109 gal completely filled 48x24x22=25344 divided by 231=109gal

It 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! So what I'm saying is that your choice 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 (a 120 gall)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 ½" fittings 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 and if your sump can handle it. Again I would recommend 3" from the top of the tank, to the center of the bulkhead fitting.

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=269gallons this is not a good size

to build for the following reasons:

1)The higher tank wall will have considerable pressure on the sides leading to a possible seam

failure.

2)24" is about the deepest you can reach in with your arm.

3)this size is more of a "tall" tank which will force you to "stack" the live rock.

4)lighting will have to be intensified to penetrate this depth.

5)Unless you use halides you will have to use quite a few Florescent bulbs.

6)The overall water circulation may be compromised.

What thickness of glass and type required?

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. From my experience, 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 are 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 (consider the long term, maintenance, display and possible resale value). If you do the project as you plan, I would be interested in the cost of materials glass or Plexiglas. 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? How tall

How wide? What 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 as good, after all its going to cost a considerable amount to make. My tank is 24x24x84 I use 1/2" plate glass I have built tanks as tall as 30 " with 1/2" I understand there is a big difference in cost between 1/4 & 1/2" for example my 24x84x1/2" was $180

Questions about the 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?

What is important 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" 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 with either

some tape or light pencil marks can give you a picture of the angle and lengths of pieces. Most vinyl tile floors have 12" squares so its pretty easy to get straight lines and increments in feet or inches.

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 approximately about a 70 to 75 degree angle. This usually leaves you with a very small looking bottom piece, but don’t worry that’s normal and the rock "overhangs" the front of the material so It will end up being 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 clearance of 2inches from where the rock overhangs the base piece of eggcrate.

Black Eggcrate

I've been unable to find the black eggcrate after much looking around.

The black is hard to find, although, it can be found! Look for a good plastics dealer there is usually one major dealer in every large city. Check the yellow pages under "plastic sheets tubes & rods" Its about $8 for a 2X4 piece.

How important do you really think using black is?

I think its important. The black blends in well so you don’t really notice it. I think it will make a big difference from using white. In a store display fine, but in a home I would use black.

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 in becomes important.

My tank is a 55 gallon. I usually mix 5 gallons of Kalkwasser at a time. I add about add half of it one day and the other half the next day is this a problem?

Mix only what you will use at one time instead of mixing one large batch.I would try to drip the entire fresh contents as that would be the most potent concentration. A 55 gallon can handle 2.5 gal over a 24 hr period Particularly if it is dripped in the morning after the lights have been off. Are you using the weight at the bottom of the bucket? That works well also. Keeping the hose low and in place.

I am concerned that my calcium levels are not adequate and am considering adding calcium chloride as a booster. What is your opinion?

If you add kalk regularly and have good evaporation you will have adequate calcium...for an "average" tank. Tanks full of sps & clams actually *use up* calcium quickly and then usually a kalk reactor or forced evaporation to maintain the calcium levels are actually needed. I would look into the test kit, let the tank balance out and add kalkwasser you should be fine.

Is there a way to measure the current flow in a reef tank, and what is the optimal flow,

i.e. to most simulate a natural reef?

Probably by the main pump, how and where it returns into the tank. My opinion is to have a min of 6x per hour and judging from my survey most have at least that and some even do 10x per hour. I would say a min of 6X per hour or more. Also, I don’t care for Power heads in the tank as they kill inverts and are a nuisance to keep running over extended periods of time. The same thing goes for power head wave makers, they wear out and are a nuisance to maintain besides being noisy. I like the surge device that works on a siphon and gravity. Its a bit bulky and loud but cant be beat for performance. For a smaller tank under a 55 use an oversize pump and more than one return. A spray bar toward the bottom does well at circulation as with my eggcrate method. I use 2 large 1200 gph on my 200 with a spraybar return in combination with a 10 gallon surge device that triggers every 10 min.

I've got 80 lbs. of live sand (1.5 #/gal) and 72 lbs. live rock (1.2#/gal) in my 60 gal tank... is that too much? Or should it be a total of 105lbs live sand/live rock (1.75 #/gal)?

I would say yes its too much and yes it should all come out to be no more than 1.75 although 2 lb per gall will be ok but pushing it. I'm also pretty sure if you talk to enough people you will hear just about all kinds of recommendations. I only speak from my experience and that of my associates.

I have made many mistakes in setting this tank up.First of all I don't have the right type of lighting ( I will fix that problem as soon as I get the money to buy some new bulbs). Secondly I used tap water. I started reading up on this hobby and realized that I must use purified water. So I did a small water change with purified water that I bought from the grocery store. I figured that I could just buy spring water from the store and use that as my source of purified water. Is that a good idea or not?

The *main* reason to use purified tap water is to reduce/eliminate algae. Do you have an algae problem? If not your very lucky and may be able to use your tap water. Generally speaking, spring water is questionable.. it *may* have the impurities that encourage microalgae,such as silicate & phosphate. The safe bet is to buy distilled water. And if you need a water purifier I like a single stage Deionizer although most use a Spectrapure RO/DI Probably the most important components in a reef tank are water, lighting, skimming, in that order. What is the problem that leads you to believe the water is bad? What kind of lights do you have? It *may* not be as bad as you think.

How do I know if I have an algae problem?

Problem algae is the scourge of reef tanks. If you have it you will know. Lets see.. micro algae starts off as a thin green film, then grows into long lengths known as hair algae frequently with air bubbles in it, really stringy. The problem is that it will overtake your live rocks pink coralline algae (good stuff) and also grow over all other desirable live things on your rock. It multiplies rapidly and getting rid of it

will test the patience of the most experienced reefkeepers. What causes it? Improper spectrum lighting and nutrients. Silicate & phosphate found inmost tap water is in small enough amounts but definitely grows some problem algae. Also, the food you feed your fish with has phosphate in it among other nutrients. That is why it is recommended in reef tanks to have a small population of fish and have them be all algae eaters like tangs algae blennies etc. Waste from fish and creatures in the tank also contain nutrients sufficient for algae to begin and be a problem. So it is important to vacuums the detritus out when doing your regular water changes. I recommend 12% every 2 weeks or 25% monthly for optimum tank quality although this is most controversial. Not to me but to others.
 

NH3 =ammonia

NH4+ =ammonium ion

CO2 =carbon dioxide

Ca(OH)2 =calcium hydroxide

DI= deionized

NO2 = nitrite

NO3 = nitrate

N20 = nitrous oxide

NO= Normal output

N2 = nitrogen gas

I = iodine

Sr = strontium

Ca = calcium

Cu = copper

N = nitrogen

NaHCO3 = bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)

NaCl = sodium chloride

CaCO3 = calcium carbonate

 

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