Achilles Tang
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Posts posted by Achilles Tang
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Cheap lights for refugium is enough...macroalgae are not fussy about it! LOL!
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24 hours a day/7 days a week.
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Sorry, had to move this post here as it is a more appropriate forum.
Ba.
You sure it was the timer that caused the trip? Or was is it the extension plug itself?
Sounds scary to cause such a big trip that the outside fuse blew too!
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Morgan,
I love your clams! I am a clam freak too!
I have 2 nice ones... almost as nice as yours... but yours rock!!
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oh... yes... both will are NNR methods... if you set it up right.
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?????
Do what? -
That doesn't look like a brain.
Does it come on stalks like frogspawn corals?
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Yes, that will work... the LR rack idea. Just make sure the basket is strong and won't leach chemicals as some plastic would.
Errr.. there is no recommended flow rate for DSB.... flow rates are for circulation in the main water column in your tank.
As long as you don't have enough current to create a tornado in your tank, your DSB will remain a DSB and not a sandstorm!
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Yes, it is more efficient in the sense that the macro-algae there acts like a natural filter, extracting nitrate, DOM or DOC as well as phosphate from the water to grow. You then completely remove all these by harvesting the algae, or recycle them by feeding it to herbivourous fish.
I believe many aquarist are unable to keep sufficient amount of macroalgae in their main tank because of excessive predation by fish and hermit crabs & snails.
A refugium (which can be incorporated into a sump or be seperated from the sump) is a 'refuge' for algae to grow. It also has the additional benefits of allowing 'pod' populations to grow... and these help in detritus removal as well as become food for corals/fish.
You will need lighting over the refugium for the macros to grow.... some prefer 24/7 lighting, some reverse lighting period (night time) where the respiration of the algae helps in preventing a drop in the PH level.
What goes into the refugium is also another area of study... some use MM (miracle mud), some use fine sand... both works well.
The macroalgae you choose is also important as some are very sensitive and well go asexual, and turn white and melt in your tank, possibly causing a crash if your filtration system is unable to cope.
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What about the water flow in this areas... understand for Nitrate eliminating bacteria to develope, must have slow water flow....
Could coral chips also be excellent breeding beds for this type of bacteria... since their nature is very close to that of LR????
Yes, very very slow water flow is typical of the environment where denitrification takes place.
Take for example, a DSB... or a plenum.
For coral chips to simulate a DSB... you will need a very DCCSB (hahaha.. go figure that one out!)
I just think that it's not efficient to use coral chips as compared to fine sand. There is still a lot of spaces between coral chips compared to compacted sand particles.
Bacteria-environment wise, the inner core areas of LR are also very inefficient compared to the massive surface area typical of a DSB . IMO, I think a true DSB would work better with little rock than a shallow SB with lots of LR.
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Ahhh...NNR... see the acronyms (abbreviation) list in the New to the Hobby forum!
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Yes, they are baby rock anemones, I think.
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#0,1,2,3,4 SAND
The different grading for sand particle sizes packaged by LFS
24/7
Twenty-fours hours a day/seven days a week
AB
Aqualine Buschke, lighting manufacturer
AC
Activated carbon, chemical filtration media / alternating current
AC II
AquaController II, all-in-one monitor & controller
acro
Acropora, a type of SPS coral
AFAIK
As far as I know
ALK
Alkalinity, measure of buffering capacity of water
AM3K
Ampmaster 3000, a model of water pump made by Dolphin Aquarium & Pet Products, Inc.
AR
Aquatic Realms, local aquarist forum
AF
Arofanatics, local aquarist forum
ASAP
As soon as possible
ATC
Automatic temperature compensating, a feature on some refractometers
ATM
At the moment
ATS
Algae turf scrubber, reef setup technique
Bfly
Butterflyfish
BOD
Biological oxygen demand
BTA
Type of anemone [Entacmaea quadricolor] / bubble-tipped, bulb tentacle, bulb tip
BTW
By the way
Ca
Calcium
CaCl2
Calcium chloride
CaCO3
Calcium carbonate
Ca(OH)2
Calcium hydroxide
CC
Counter current, type of protein skimmer
CFD
Compulsive Fragging Disorder (SRC orginal!)
Cl
Chlorine
CO2
Carbon dioxide
CO3
Carbonate
CSL
Custom Sea Life, lighting manufacturer
CTA
Cellulose triacetate, type of RO membrane
Cu
Copper
CYANO
Cyanobacteria
DD
Downdraft, type of protein skimmer
DE
Double ended metal halide metal bulb
DI
Deionization, type of water purification
DIY
Do it yourself
dKH
Degrees of carbonate hardness, measure of alkalinity
DO
Dissolve oxygen
DOC
Dissolved organic carbon
DOM
Dissolved organic matter
DSB
Deep sand bed
DT's
Brand of refrigerated living phytoplankton
E-ballast
Electronic Ballast
ER
Euro-Reef, skimmer manufacturer
ELCB
Earth Leakage Circuit Breaker
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Fe
Iron
FO
Fish only, type of marine aquarium
FOWLR
Fish Only with Live Rock
FR
Fluidised Reactor
frag(s)
Broken or cut pieces of coral which will eventually grow into a new animal
"fuge"
Short for refugium
FW
Freshwater
FWIW
For what its worth
FYI
For your information
FYM
For your misinformation
GAC
Granular activated carbon, chemical filtration media
GAL
Gallon
GFCI/GFI
Ground fault circuit interrupter / Ground fault interrupter
GPH
Gallons per hour
HCO3
Hydrogen carbonate
HD
Home Depot
HID
High intensity discharge, type of light
HO
High output fluorescent light
HOT
Hang on top, type of skimmer
HPS
High pressure sodium, type of light NOT for reefs but the ballasts concern them
HQI
High quartz iodide, type of light
HSA
High speed aeration, type of proteins skimmer
HTH
Hope this helps
I
Iodide
I2
Iodine
ID
Indentify
IM
In my
IMCO
In my considered opinion
IME
In my experience
IMEO
In my expert opinion
IMHO
In my humble/honest opinion
IMNSHO
In my not so humble/honest opinion
IMO
In my opinion
IO
Instant Ocean, brand of synthetic salt mix
IO3
Iodate
IOW
In other words
IR
Infrared, type of light of longer wavelength than visible light
IRC
Internet relay chat
ISP
Internet service provider
JME
Just my experience.
JMO
Just my opinion.
K
kelvin (mechanism for measuring spectrum of lighting, should be labeled degrees K) / Potassium
KALK
Kalkwasser, German for calcium hydroxide solution or limewater
KI
Potassium iodide
KISS
Keep it simple stupid
LED
Light emiting diode
LFS
Local fish store
LHS
Local hardware store
LOL
Laughing out loud
LPS
Large polyped Scleractinian (stoney) coral
LR
Live rock
LS
Live sand
LT
Litre
LYFDTW!
(let your fingers do the walking) - meaning to do some online research first using the search functions of forum boards or search engines.
MEQ/L
Milli-equivalents per litre, measure of alkalinity
Mg
Magnesium
MG/L
Milligrams per litre
MH
Metal halide light
MM
Miracle Mud, method of aquarium filtration
MO
Mail order
MV
Mercury vapor, type of light
Na
Sodium
NaCO3
Sodium carbonate
NaOH
Sodium hydroxide
NeWater
(Sai Jui, Jamban Juice)
very pure water recycled from sewage effluent.NFW
No way
NH3
Ammonia
NH4
Ammonium
NNR
Natural nitrate reduction, reef setup technique
NO
Normal output fluorescent light
NO2
Nitrite
NO3
Nitrate
NP
No problem
NRN
No reply necessary
NSW
Natural seawater
O2
Oxygen
OBTW
Oh by the way
ORP
Oxidation reduction potential, the ability to take or give electrons
OTOH
On the other hand
PAR
Photosynthetically active radiation, lighting quantity
PC
Power compact fluorescent light
pH
Measure of the concentration of hydrogen ions, equal to -log[H+]
PH
Powerhead, water pump
PITA
Pain in the @ss
PLS
Please
PO4
Phosphate
"pods"
Non-specific types of copepods, amphipods and such
PPM
Parts per million, equivalent to mg/l (milligrams per litre)
PUB
Public Utilities Board
PUR
Photosynthetically usuable radiation, lighting quantity
PVC
Poly vinyl chloride, used for piping / plumbing
RO
Reverse osmosis, type of water purification
RO/DI
Reverse osmosis, followed by deionization, type of water purification
ROFL
Rolling on the floor laughing
ROFLOL
Rolling on the floor laughing out loud
ROTFL
Rolling on the floor laughing
ROFLMAO/ROTFLMAO
Rolling on the floor laughing my *** off
ROTFLOL
Rolling on the floor laughing out loud
RR
Reef ready, aqaurium with pre-drilled holes and overflows
RTN
Rapid Tissue Necrosis
RUGF
Reverse flow undergravel filter
SAL
Salinity
"Saki"
Iwasaki, light manufacturer
SE
Single ended, lighting designation
SG
Specific gravity
SHO
Super high output fluorescent light, equivalent to power compact fluorescent
Si
Silicon
SiO2
Silicon dioxide
SRC
Singapore Reef Club
Still in the dark
SO
Significant other
SPS
Small polyped Scleractinian (stoney) coral
Sr
Strontium
STN
Slow Tissue Necrosis
SW
Saltwater / seawater
T5
Type of flourescent tube.
T8
Type of flourescent tube.
TAR
Type of magnetic ballast / substance used to embed magnetic ballast coils
TFC
Thin film composite, type of RO membrane
TIA
Thanks in advance
TIC
Tongue in cheek
TM
Tropic Marin, manufacturer of fresh and saltwater products
TTYL
Talk to you later
UGF
Undergravel filter
UV
Ultra violet, type of light of shorter wavelength than visible light
VHO
Very high output fluorescent light
W
Watts
WD ( W/D )
Wet dry, method of aquarium filtration
Weipro
Brand of Skimmers, probably from Taiwan or China
WPG
Watts per gallon, lighting quantity
WTH
What the hell
WYSIWYG
What you see is what you get
YMMV
Your mileage may vary
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I am using bioballs for my current setup for 2 years plus... and it works.
I did battle nitrates initially but when the tank matured... i have zero nitrates now for a long time.
I did use AZ-NO3 (you can buy from www.fishnfriends.com, the local distributor) in the beginning and that helped a lot.
If you tell the Americans you use bioballs you will get flamed, trust me. They have abandoned that system a long time ago and moved on to NNR.
The Germans are still using bioballs... and so would Aquatechnic as they have German products to sell.
They are using the true berlin method, which has no substrate. However, I heard from someone that the secret to their clean tanks is daily maintenance and massive water changes.
Personally, I feel that bioballs do help with heavy stocking. The problem is that they work too well! You will need to make sure that you have a DSB to process all that nitrates produced.
Remember the nitrogen cycle? Ammonia > nitrites > nitrates > nitrogen.
Any part of the filtration system that is inadequate will see a jump in one of the above parts of the cycle.
Nitrogen is the end result and is harmless. Nitrates is not as dangerous as it seems as a lot of corals and livestock has a high tolerance for nitrates (NO3).. in fact, clams and some corals process some of it as nutrition... the dangerous part of the cycle is the beginning, where ammonia and nitrites (no2) are highly toxic.
That is why newbies experience a tank wipeout when they rush through the initial tank cycling process or overstock suddenly.
You need to give time for the appropriate bacteria to grow and to cope with the sudden influx of ammonia, nitrites and nitrates.
Bioballs are effective in processing nitrites to nitrates in a wet/dry environment. Too effective. And that's the problem. So that's why it's called a 'nitrate factory'!
As for coral chips in the filtration system... I have that in my tank as I copied LFS without questioning why. To grow bacteria? To release calcium?
I will be removing coral chips from my sump system as I do not find they do anything but to clog detritus in them.
Coral chips do not release calcium naturally as LFS claim unless they are exposed to very low PH... which do not exist in reef tanks unless you put them in a calcium reactor, where you inject CO2 to bring down the PH. So that theory is moot.
Coral chips as a biological bed? Well.. a deep sand bed made of fine sand is a better and proven filter. Once you see a deep coral chip bed trapping all the detritus that you can't siphon out.. you will understand... I don't see any worms or copepods in my coral chip compartment so it won't be cleared for some time too.
So which is right and which is wrong?
Who knows? Different school of thoughts still exist because people had/have success with it and until they try the other school of thought and proven it can work too or be even better... then 'old schools' will still exist.
Different strokes for different folks.
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I deleted that post... you have to use a graphic program to resize the pix.
Try to have them smaller than 640pixel width... around 500 is fine.
Try again...maybe since its an anemone pix... you can post it in the reef forum, there is a topic there about anemones...
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a frogspawn coral can get off its skeleton and still live????!
How is that possible?? Can you show us a pix?
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Anyone has the experience of introducing new liverocks to a matured tank and then seeing an outbreak of marine velvet?
3 days ago on Sat, I bought about 3kg of liverocks in preparation for my new tank and gave it a freshwater rinse to take out any nuisance shrimp and crabs (a crab came out)... and then put it in my tank.
Yesterday, when I came back from work, all my tangs and fishes had marine velvet.
I immediately fed them food soaked in garlic and even poured some garlic juice into the water (supposed to work by causing the parasites to release their grip)... I hope they will recover quickly.
These few days will be worrying. Actually, in all my years of marine reefkeeping, this is the first time I have seen such a bad outbreak of marine velvet. The occasional war with ich has been successfully won.
Wish me luck!
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What tank setup and feeding regime have you prepared for the jellyfish, Nike?
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? what is that? Any info?
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Be careful not to overdose iodine. It is toxic in high quantities.
Some people believe that the food you feed the tank will contain enough iodine, so dosing iodine supplements will only be for tanks which have a high coral load.
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For maximum safety... salt spray, water hose tears, pvc pipe leaks or worse, pumps that come loose can direct water into electrical sockets and switches.
It happened to me once but luckily I used plastic bags to cover my sockets as a temporary measure after once when I was out of town, a powerhead that had tilted, sprayed water out of the tank and my wife couldn't figure out how to restore power for a few hours till my neighbour came to help. LOL!
So for my new setup... here's my DIY spray cover for my electrical switches and sockets... using a Toyogo plastic comic book box that cost only S$7.50.
I drilled the holes for the individual electrical socket boxes into the wall, then drilled the plastic box into the wall, then the electrical boxes into it/through to the wall.
The box comes perfect for 8 electrical socket/switch boxes with enough space for the top two sockets to attach electronic timers.
Take a look.
The cover is easily removed.
Using a micro-jet blowtorch, I heated a penknife and sliced a rectangular slot at the bottom for the wires to go through. Oops, the photo above doesn't show the slot, but you get the idea!
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Just spent the weekend settling my electricals...
Installed an ELCB (earth leakage circuit breaker) or GFCI (ground fault circuit interrupter) as it is called in the USA. It will trip if any leakage is detected in the circuit, the metal stand will also be earthed to it. This is in addition to the house circuit breaker and ELCB.
Also installed switches that are accessible from the hall once I swing up the panel... it is connected to the electrical sockets that have the following plugged in:
HID lights #1, HID Lights #2,
Reeftec left corner, Reeftec right corner,
main pump,
chiller (which is on a timer)
chiller pump which is on a closed loop.
One spare.
The switches are protected from spray by a clear spray cover box and the electrical sockets, I made a DIY cover (covered in the DIY section HERE).
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OMG! What were you trying to treat???! Ick in the main tank??
I think most of the medication is for quarantine tank use only... no telling how the medication may kill the useful bacteria in the tank.. causing an oxygen drop... suffocating your fish...
The worst advice I ever got from a reputable LFS was to drop in Malachite Green in my tank until the water is slightly blue... all my corals shrank... and some died.... I had to do massive water changes... sigh!
Lessons to learn here folks...
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Spiff...
It's 20cm wide.
I am not sure... wouldn't dare guarantee... I did ask the tank guy if I could do away with centre... he said better not. I asked if it could be as thin as 10cm, he said the extra width would give the center brace more grip. It's up to you what you think would give you confidence...
Bio-ball or coral chip
in General Reefkeeping_
Posted
Hi seawater,
Personally, at my current overflow, I have a compartment to trap stuff with filter wool. In my sump, I also use wool to trap before it goes down the bioball compartment.
In my new setup, my overflow has been designed to install a removable filter wool tray for occasional use... but I am intending to let detritus settle in the overflow, sump and refugium where it can be removed by pods or by manual suction. It can be turned into a refugium as I will be installing removable stockman pipes which will keep the water level high in the overflow to reduce noise.
I am having enough circulation in my main tank to keep detritus waterborne all the time so it can be swept into the overflow.