Achilles Tang

From my personal experience & opinion, it won't happen to a very large extent. The surface tension of saltwater bubbles is rather strong and even with a tall reaction chamber, the surface integrity of each bubble remains strong enough to only break at the water surface. Fusing of small bubbles into big bubbles only happens when the bubbles collect on a 'ceiling' or ledge, staying still and then merging together if they stay in contact long enough (like a few seconds) and then collect enough mass to rise as one large bubble and then you get a small 'burp'... which is seeing one big bubble rising amidst the tiny bubbles. Happens very rarely. The design of any skimmer will determine if occasional 'burping' does occur, but should be easily rectified unless its a design flaw.

Lol... u can drop off without problems... There's a list of people in line who can take over your place! Pls post it in the promotion thread!

It so easy to achieve a swirling design for longer contact time, just turn the nozzle at an angle and the foam jet will swirl like a whirlpool. Seeing instant dirty foam collecting on top of the whirlpool really turns me on! Hahaha!

Maxima and Edmund has already clarified that they are NOT having any commercial biasness towards Rowaphos. Let's all not hover over this issue again. As a hobbyist, I WANT to KNOW the TRUTH OUT THERE. Like Agent Mulder, seeing is believing? I want to learn more about the facts. IF there is solid evidence out there... it must be revealed. If Rowa is 100% better then all the other products out there and the price justifies the kudos, I'll glad part with my moolah the way I have done so in the past. If a bullshit product is 99% of the effectiveness of Rowa, and the price justifies the hard facts, I'll have to decide if that 1% difference is worth the $$$. Max, leaving aside the agent allegations, if I inconvenienced you, I apologize. Let's go back to your product review... will you provide us all the evidence and proof about what you strongly stated? For the advancement of the hobby! Or are you just going to stop halfway again? AT

Hmmm... the plot thickens. I got word from the Rowa distributor himself that you said so or had the intention to. Did he tell me it was a secret, he didn't. Is he wrong? Did you retract in the end? I have no idea. Are you parallel importing... not my problem. Perhaps he was wrong and passed wrong info to me. Since you have clarified so hard on THIS fact, then kudos to you for washing your hands off that you have no commercial intent. But do you intend to sell Rowaphos in your shop? How about Contra K? Regardless who sells what... let's go back to the central plot of this story.... Maxima says everything else is bullshit except for Rowaphos. His statements need to be clarified, justified and backed up with hard proof. The lab test results SHOULD provide the answers, and I really hope it doesn't say the word 'bullshit' next to all the analysis made for everything except Rowaphos. Coz if it doesn't, Max, don't run away until you back up everything you said. I don't mind reading 20 pages of links to 200 pages of information out there supporting what you say. Because I am no lab tech or scientist or chemist, I am just a layman and rely on information that I read to make my own perceptions. Maxima probably does the same. The only diff is how both of us do our product reviews. And just to clarify what I feel about Rowaphos (you can do a search on my posts)... it's the bomb man!! Love it! Rowa rocks! ... and now that there's products out there from the same manufacturer.... even better man!! Bullshit?

Maxima, After all that strong statements and facts stated to put every product down except yours down, you won't even backup what you wrote?? I'm very disappointed as I have always looked up to you as the man with all the answers to everything but just not willing to share. Can I throw back the same statement you made back to you? Eg. You win in everything lah Only what you stated are true Why spend so much time telling bullshit if you can't back it up. Reefers can judge for themselves Hope you won't just walk away but indulge us in learning more from you. AT

Best wishes from SRC!

Hey Max, Two fiery product reviews from you in a day.... ! Hope you don't mind but I am also very interested to engage in an intellectual debate here.... well actually... more like clarification on your statements. I don't have any chemistry background and am not a 'guru', hehehe. Hope you can clear the air as people are getting quite confused about what you're trying to hammer home. Cool! I have always liked and endorsed Rowaphos before. Holy Cow!! That's one hell of a expensive test kit man! See above thread... one of the questions I posed was about item 8. Where's the data for this item 8? Share leh. Solution for what? KIDDING!!! To be honest, a long time ago before even the 500ml Contraphos mixed product even came to Singapore, I read about this statement a long time ago that they are identical (see the link here) and judged that this product was not as efficient vs the 500ml Rowaphos because visually & by personal testing that they are not... (see Bawater's product review) Maybe the manufacturer may not want this fact to be so publicly known...? There has been neither a dispute to this statement nor affirmation. IMO, you will only know if the content and properties are studied and you judge the value & efficiency vs the $$$ you pay for it. If I pay Mercedes-Benz money, I don't expect to get a Hyundai performance (no offence to Hyundai car owners! ) But if my Hyundai looks & performs the same as a Mercedes-Benz at a lower price... why not?) Who is they? Wow.. any facts or evidence to show that all the other brands 'spike' their products intentionally? The lab results you have? Nobody likes to be conned. (Bullshit seems to be your favourite word these days to describe everything else apart from Deltec and Rowaphos ). Pay good money for whatever products only for the results you expect and for what you experienced yourself. I'm equally curious what's in the mixed products too! No bullshit? Where do we find the path to no bullshit? No offence, Max... we await your enlightening info...! Please please please don't leave us dangling again!

Hi everyone, I believe I have found this 'super secret' Lab Test that Maxima is refering to! It's actually in public domain but you have to pay for each product parameter that this German hobbyist has lab analysed (I believe he has a spectrometer in his lab... wow!!). Robe, your proposed testings should be done with as much control as a lab would... maybe this info that I am sharing will help us better? From my very limited German language skills (hahahaha.... its a secret how I can 'translate' ). This German lab guy bought all the phosphate removal products himself. He bought what was on the shelves in their original packaging and the newest stocks probably for 'freshness'. These are the list of products that was tested. 1 Aqualine Antiphos 2 JBL PhosEx 3 Amtra Phosphate reduct 4 Rowa Rowaphos (Is Max reporting for Contraphos Konzentrat as well?) 5 Aquaconnect Contraphos (500ml mixed product version) 6 Seachem PhosGuard 7 Tropic marine Elimi Phos He appears to consider the differences in the physical properties of each phosphate media particle and how they affect absorption. He also measures how the media absorbs and holds the phosphate and even yellowing compounds if they have activated charcoal or some other media mixed inside them. ----------------------------------------------------- (Below are the pertinent points of the lab test and is translated in broken english but you should get the general idea! ) Sea water: Part 2: Adsorption speed In the case of this measurement the adsorption speed is determined. 5.00 g adsorbents are given to 100 ml sea waters, which an exact quantity orthophosphate (contains and slowly one flows through. A "Drueberspuelen" or short vibrating is not meaningful here and leads to substantial faulty measurements. After 0,25 (15 min) 0,5 (30 min) 1 2 4 and 24 Hours that is determined phosphate content with a laboratory photometer in the sea water. In addition a very small part of the solution is removed and filtered over a special membrane filter. Thus all particles are held back. If the water which can be measured is not diaphragm-filtered, likewise substantial measuring errors showed up by the arrears of the adsorbent in the sample. E.G. because acid can set the phosphate free again. The aquarium water, was from my sea water aquarium and by means of ICP analysis exactly was before examined. Measuring errors of up to 30% showed artificially set sea water (salt + osmose water + aging + phosphate)!! with comparative measurements! The test is to be accomplished on practice conditions and covered this continuous washing around of the adsorbent and a natural sea water sample. So that the reader can deal more easily with the numerical values, the adsorbed quantity phosphate was referred to 100g adsorbent. Example Part 3: Binding ability In the case of this measurement the binding ability is determined. An exact quantity of adsorbents is given to an exact quantity of sea water, which contains an exact quantity orthophosphate and slowly flowed through. It must be so for a long time flowed around, until the phosphate concentration does not change any longer. Since this takes some weeks, the measurements are still to run. A measured value after some hours is here not meaningfully and completely wrong concerning the binding ability. To the comparison see also the values from the example after 2, 4 and 24 hours from part of 2. Even after weeks the adsorbents take up still phosphate. Of the photograph capacity and/or binding ability can be spoken thus only if the phosphate concentration does not change any longer. Part 4: Aluminum delivery Since nearly all adsorbents contain aluminum, that is determined aluminum content water according to the adsorption. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The hyperlink for this site is: http://www.lars-sebralla.de/ma_p_adsorb.html, you can use Yahoo's translater to translate into English but you will get broken english! See for yourselves! It would be interesting if Max reveals the lab results for each product since he has obviously paid for them already. But if he has no wish to share with us because its his money.... then there's nothing to say. Results of the lab tests: Part 1: Contents materials (seperated into 3 parts to cater for the mixed products) Part 2: Absorption speed (saltwater results out) Part 3: Binding ability (not available yet) Part 4: Aluminum leaching (not available yet) I believe sharing information helps the reefing community and may even give a wakeup call to manufacturers, sales & marketing reps to improve/price their products better as educated hobbyists will not want to be kept in the dark for too long. Sorry if I 'picha' the lobang, Max, but you don't mind if I let them into this info, right? SRC reefers should SHARE, TEACH & EDUCATE fellow reefers to become better hobbyists.... and I believe the best principle is to simply lead by example. I am not Mr Perfect or Mr Know it All or Mr Always Right but I want to see SRC hobbyists improve themselves with knowledge. (I better stop here before I get more holes in my back. ) Perhaps some loaded people without commercial interests in the products can sponsor the results for our analysis? Coz I bring in Aquaconnect stuff and Maxima (I heard from reliable sources) may be the new Rowaphos distributor? Correct me if I am wrong! I just curious where the following brands (in red) suddenly pop out from in Max's list coz I don't see it anywhere in the site. (or maybe I'm just totally lost! ) 1 Aqualine Antiphos 2 JBL PhosEx 3 Amtra Phosphate reduct 4 Rowa Rowaphos (Contraphos Konzentrat - aren't they the same?) 5 Aquaconnect Contraphos (500ml mixed product version is the one being tested) 6 Seachem PhosGuard 7 Tropic marine Elimi Phos 8. PhosBan 9. Aquaconnect Contraphos Concentrate 10. BioPhos 11. Phos Away Even the index page here (you have to click on the link that says: Analyse: 7 Phosphatentferner: Aus was bestehen sie und was können sie) which shows 'NEU' (for new!) results don't have the red highlighted products being tested. Or is it done by another lab? Max... care to clarify and share more info? Or is it gleaned from another phosphate test results that I have posted sometime back here?

Ah damn!! The discovery of the century... lost from my grasp! I could have been famous.... I could have a new species named after me.... Achillicalis Roidanita (see, Roidan, I shared some credit with you!)

Ervine, Primarily, oils from your hands will affect the water temporarily. It happens during feeding times too.. esp. when you use garlic oils and such. AT

I need an ID on these mysterious jellyfish you got in your tank!

Schurans are well commented upon. Maybe you can visit www.ultimatereef.com, its a UK reefing site.... do a search there... and be assured that there are happy Schuran users there too. RC still have more to learn/catch up on German stuff... so information in English is still scratchy. If you can read German, then I am sure there's a HELL lot of very very good information from the hobbyists there! Too bad its all untranslated and will be lost to the rest of the reefing world.

It's so simple: = The only variable is the SIZE OF MY WALLET vs ENERGY EFFICIENCY vs SPACE FOR THE SKIMMER in my decision to choose the right mechanism for me to produce the above equation in the quickest possible time! BTW, I suck at Maths! So I can only rely on visual observation.

TICK TOCK!!! reeferz around is SRC What kind of topic description is that??!!

Moving this to the ID forum!

Moving this to the ID forum!

I love intellectual debates... gets what little brain cells of mine going... Let's keep it intellectual ok?

Max, hope you don't mind my queries as I am not a technical guru or even expert by any definition of the word coz I don't have a Mechanical/Electrical/R&D background but I try to learn from others who know more. Max, do you have the lab test reports on this or is it super secret again? I know skimmers all need to suck in air to produce foam... and I believe that needlewheels, venturis and beckett nozzles alike need a certain amount of air to be fed at an optimum level or the skimmer will not produce fine bubbles that influence skimmate quality. Hence the need for tuning. Correct me if I am wrong. Is your statement insinuating that Deltecs are a lot better than the rest coz there is a LOT more air going in and THAT is matched by a LOT of water going in compared to the rest? Your stated Deltec's 300% vs 20% for H&S, Schuran, Euroreefs, Aquamedics & other brands out there is impressive but air suction/water flow ratio is not the measure of how good a skimmer performs coz the amount of air and water going into a Beckett may mean its way 'better' than a Deltec coz the amount of water and air fed via a beckett into the skimmer is tremendous! Curious to know the figures for Becketts or is it secret? Can you share? Hope you can clarify your statement in detail. Yeah, its common fact that height and size of reaction chamber is important for ALL skimmers. Even Deltecs... no one matches 20 needlewheel pumps into a 4 inch diameter chamber that is 20cm height. Yeah... similarly, you don't put a 500l/h powerhead attached to a Deltec but use the appropriate pump right? Yeah... similarly, you don't put a 5000l/h pump on a 5 metre tall skimmer body right? Err... customization means models that come in different sizes to fit under stands or be free-standing and can be run by different-rated pumps to produce different foam quality? What's so bullshit (it seems to be your favourite word recently) about this? Did you run this Lab test, or did someone run it already? Which lab? Can you produce the datasheet here? It's frustrating to hear of your lab test results but never get to see them. SHARE with us, man! What in the world is a GFN XXL single Beckett skimmer? And yes, most of us know that if we want a bigger skimmer we need to go for more becketts and properly rated pumps! What are you talking about?? rated for the tank? I'm lost here. Yeah, this a is well known fact amongst the educated beckett users. But its good to point that out to newbies! Thanks! Ah... you're contradicting yourself here man.... skimmers are rated by not just one part but by the sum of all its parts eg. diameter, height, pump, air intake, foam-making device technology. Skimmers are recommended to be matched by the tank water volume which at the end of the day... is also a bit of a guesstimation coz every tank's bioload/water quality needs are different. You can't pigeonhole a beckett skimmer by just the beckett part itself in terms of ratings coz can you say that a needlewheel can produce the same foam as a beckett nozzle? It's an unfair match because EVERYONE knows that beckett skimmers are energy inefficient but they sure can foam like no other foammaking device... and have a higher turnover of water than most other skimmers. So if you can bring in a Deltec 6000L rated skimmer and we beckett users can make a 4-beckett skimmer (rated by you as 6000l efficiency) and we will test which skimmer outperforms the other! DEAL? *shudder*, I am such a idiot.

Wow! Max, you have outdone yourself this time! Strong words should be backed with 'liao'.... I agree that this challenge must take place... for hobbyists not only in Singapore but WORLDWIDE!!! For the advancement of the hobby!! Robe, that is the best statement I have ever read from you in a very long time!! You are the best Ma_Chee_Ku (whatever that means! ) around... you made me laugh so hard I almost split my sides! If my beckett skimmer is crap, I'll upgrade my skimmer to a Deltec but I'm just afraid my wife will divorce me because of the cost! She may even make me eat my beckett skimmate Max, if I don't use my eyes to see the skimmate a skimmer produces, what senses should I use? My nose... it stinks to high heaven... taste... NNoooooooOOOOooooo!!!! Touch? Yucky... like sh*t. I have never been this excited about equipment before in a long long time!! Deltec vs the REST OF THE WORLD Challenge!! Robe has thrown the gauntlet and I'm willing to volunteer my beckett skimmer for the test!!!

Izzit the lab test that cost 0.50 Euro for each product... Being secretive again, Max? You talking about the L**s S******a lab tests? Be generous and post it for all of us to see leh! And don't leave out details again leh... full picture pls!

Reefkeeping Magazine - May 05 issue A Message From the Editor by Skip Attix Features: Live Rock As A Biological Filter: Hit or Myth? by Ronald L. Shimek, Ph. D. ReefSlides - Carpet Anemones courtesy of Reef Central Members Tank of the Month This month we are featuring George Rowe's (Eugene Reefer) beautiful reef tank. Columns: The Grazing Snails, Part I - Turbo, Trochus, Astraea, and Kin by Ronald L. Shimek, Ph. D. It's a Bird! It's a Plane! No, Istigobius! by Henry C. Schultz III Reef Aquarium Water Parameters by Randy Holmes-Farley A Warning Sign of Impending Caulerpa Sporulation by Gene Schwartz Science Notes & News by Our Science Editors Top Ten Reasons Why You Love Your LFS... by Readers Reefkeeping Magazine - May 05 issue

You can't move your old DSB. When I upgraded, I moved everything from my old tank to the new except the sandbed. When you disturb a DSB, you affect the oxygen diffusion process through the layers and will kill off anaerobic bacteria that thrives in the almost zero oxygen layer. You may also release hydrogen sulfide (a product of denitrification) which could be toxic if they are in large amounts. So in theory, do not disturb a DSB once setup... only the top layers can be turned over by sand-sifters. If you want to... you can remove all your old sand, give it a good wash to remove all the detritus that have accumulated before putting it back into your new tank to resuse. The only thing is that you will lose all the microlife on it including pods and worms and all the aerobic & anaerobic bacteria. You just have to give the 'new' sandbed time to repopulate itself with life and your sandbed is on your way to maturity where you will be able to deal with nitrates naturally via NNR. Or perhaps you can do away with the sandbed and go Berlin style... some reefers endorse this method but they have quite a bit of restrictions in terms of stocking up, nutrient control and may need you to invest more heavily in better equipment like skimmers and phosphate reactors. Maxima says he has some 'secret tricks' to control NO3 and PO4 but he's extremely reluctant to share them. Wonder why?

eeeehhhhhh..

Tell you guys what... PM me the tips... so it can be cycled for weekly or even daily if there is enough volume!