Facts, Questions, and Answers

Your comments as to what's below and/or new comments and questions can be forwarded to my e-mail address - saltcorner@cs.com. Take into consideration that I'm a 'Senior Citizen' and growing a little slower every day. Your e-mail may be one of twenty or more received daily, and between travel, both pleasure and business, answering may take a week or more.

Q&A First Half 2006

Hello Bob,

I've read with interest your article about deep sand plenums in a past issue of FAMA. I followed up by reading the article on your website by Roy Meeke 'the Plenum System' and doing more research on the web. I too am of the opinion the marine aquarium should reproduce nature as closely as possible. Back in the early 80's when I started my fish only tank, trickle wet/dry filters were new fan dangle affairs and too expensive for my budget. Bad advice abounded as well and I ended up leaving the hobby (still kept a Koi pond and a freshwater tank).

I've been planning to start a reef tank and I've been reading as much as possible for the past three months and am still three months away from putting water in the tank, as I want to do it right. Based on what I've learned I want to keep the filtration as 'natural' as possible, keep electrical devices out of the water as much as I can and keep gadgetitis under control.

I have a few questions on DSB and I hope you don't mind these newbie questions.

Thank you in advance for your help.

Regards,

Bert Plourde

Hi Bert,

Thanks for you letter and have heard the same thoughts and questions many times! Your thought as to having an as natural as possible environment goes with my way of thinking. However, when and if complex reef systems are the goal, then some high tech equipment becomes a must if it is to be kept in an outstanding condition.

You may want to read the letter and see the photos of Mike Leppon's low-tech system that is posted in the Photo Gallery page on my website. We actually had over 100 emails between us! Ok, I'm a little crazy, but do like to help people do it right the first time!

As for your comments in question 1, placing the plenum in the sump has not only been my personal preference for many years, but that of most other aquarists. That's because it's the easiest way to maintain it, utilized it efficiently, and prevent that deeper sandbed look in the main show tank, which a lot of aquarists don't like. And a shallow bed in the main tank is exactly what I always recommend in these type situations. And one inch is perfectly acceptable, and should be somewhat course, i.e., 2 to 5 mm grain size so it is not easily moved around by water currents. Its also the right size for better nutrient control as too fine sand leads to more nutrients being produced and stored in the sand instead of efficiently consumed as energy.

As for question 2, whether you go plenum or DSB in the sump, the depth of the substrate has nothing to do with whether or not you can maintain mangroves in that tank. The key factor will be the quantity of light, as mangroves need bright/intense light.

And where question 3 is concerned, two problems arise from heater cables located in the sandbed whether that be a plenum bed or a DSB. The first is that the area nearest to the cable will be the hottest, thereby affecting the well being of any microbes/microbial processes nearby. Also, the quality of the cable itself comes into play, as some are not too well regulated and/or do not dispense heat evenly. However, even more important is the fact that the generated heat rises, and causes rising convection currents that work against the downward flowing diffusion process. It's those downward processes, especially in a plenum bed, that are invaluable when it comes to microbial processes being in a 'balanced' state. Not something I would recommend.

Hope this helps and keep me posted.

Bob

Hi Bob,

Thanks for responding to my question of an auxillary plenum. I believed plenums work, but I was always afraid to install one in the main tank, for if something had gone wrong, i.e., accummilation of detritus I would have to tear it down which would be a cumbersom task in the show tank. Call it piece of mind. I am now going to set up an auxillary plenum. However I have a couple questions that your book did'nt address. No fault of your own. Since this system of mine will be a "sump Type" plenum, the water level is not going to fill the tank all the way. Does this matter, if water level does matter , what should be the measurement from top of sand to top of water level? Secondly, can I use caribasea, special reef grade sand for my top 2'' and my bottom 2''? what do you recommend/ I got the impression that the bottom 2'' should be of larger grain size. --- I know you disagree w/ the use of kalkwasser, atleast the way I do it, because I just dose it w/out carbon dioxide, but I'd like your opinon on my kalkwasser preparation. I does it from a 10 gallon tank. First I fill 9 1/2 gallons of the tank w/ r/o water. Then I have a half gallon container filled w/ r/o water. I put the ten teaspoons(recommended for ten gallons) in the half gallon container, stir, and let sit overnight. I then open up a valve place near the bottom of the half gallon container, the kalwasser then drains into the ten gallon container w/out the scum on top and the undisolved particles on the bottom. This method seems to produce less precipitation on the bottom and top of my ten gallon tank. I figured my method produces the same quality and saturation as if I added the hydoxide directly into the ten gallon tank. Am I right or am I losing something by adding large quanities in such a small container then dumping it into the ten gallon tank. Your opinion would be greatly appreciated on all my questions. You have been a great help thus far. My tank is thriving. OOPs, one last question, How long does Reef vital dna, coral vital LSB, and selcon last in the refrigorator. Same w/ black powder and spectra vital in the freezer. Also supplements such as concentrated strontium, magnesium, and combisan at room tempurature. Sorry for this long email. But your advise is deeply appreciated.

Jasonn - Sweden

Hi Jasonn,

Thanks for your letter and moving my office equipment from my old office to my new office along with some badly strained chest muscles has put me far behind answering mail. I don't know where people get the idea that there is accumulation of detritus in the plenum area. My first system was set up five years and when everything had to be moved because they had out grown the aquarium, the plenum in that tank was as clean as the day I set it up.

As for remote plenum tanks, I agree they seem to be better for many people. In fact, I am currently finishing a new business office extension to our home here in Tucson Arizona that will be supplied by electrical power generated by solar panels and a wind generator. Its 180 gallon reef system will have a 40 gallon plenum-equipped aquarium located under the main show aquarium. The show system will contain about an inch of 1.5 mm grain size sand. Water will flow between the plenum tank and show aquarium at about 20 gallons per hour. There will be a few pieces of live rock and many different sponges in the auxiliary plenum system and it will not be lighted. I expect it to easily handle all bio-load. I plan on writing a couple of articles about this system that should appear in various magazines including Practical Fishkeeping sometime later this year. But remember, that's not a sump where other equipment such as a protein skimmer is going to be located. It's simply a biological filtration system plenum style! Plenums in sumps where there is fast water flow through them have "never" been recommended by me! Time for diffusion in a sandbed, and a reasonable volume of sandbed area must be adhered to. There are no magic things about a plenum system, they need their space and time to do their job!

As for your water depth question, it is a fact that shallower bodies of water have slightly lower pH than do deeper waters. That's because they absorb more carbon dioxide because of their larger surface area and retain it because it is absorbed more easily than oxygen. Anyway, if the container is sufficiently aerated, i.e., powerheads/airstones moving the water more vertically than horizontally, that should not be a problem. It is not necessary to over aerate, however, good water movement is such containers is highly recommended. By depth, anything over six inches should suffice. As for the type of sand, crushed coral would suffice for the bottom layer. As for the upper layer, CaribSea Seaflor Super Reef is my choice because of its slightly larger sand grain size therefore have slightly better control over oxygen gradients. As for different grain sizes in different bed locations, that is another something started by others not too knowledgeable in plenum mechanics. There is no truth that this benefits the system, and is not necessary as one size sand grain, as what the product mentioned has, will suffice nicely. I should add different sizes don't hurt the system, however, the time and effort in establishing them is not necessary.

The only reason I do not like the addition of Kalkwasser is that my aquarists use the dump and pray method! As for your method, only a small amount, probably a half teaspoon of Kalkwasser is dissolving because that is saturating the half gallon of water. This small amount of calcium would not be enough to maintain anything but a very, very small system. As for precipitation in the 10 gallon tank, the introduction of a Kalkwasser solution in this tank at least allows its pH to rise somewhat, lessening the precipitation when it enters the main system. Your method is at least a step in the right direction, however insufficient for maintaining proper calcium levels in larger systems. Your best direction is a calcium reactor, a two part solution, or the use of carbon dioxide equipment on a much larger amount of Kalkwasser.

Once the Marc Weiss products are opened they should be refrigerated and will last for many years. As for the other additives, they should also last for years at room temperature when opened. Where about are you located?

Hope this helps.

Bob

Hello Bob,

I would like to know if you could please give me some information on bristle worms. I have recently found one in my aquarium and know where it lives. Does it really do any harm to an aquarium? I haven't got any corals, only a Heteractis magnifica and some Discosoma, so I don't know exactly what it feeds upon, although I seem to remember reading something about them being real reef pests. In any case, is there any animal (fish, shrimp, other invert...) that can eat them and does it multiply rapidly?

Thank you for all your help.

Anthony Dadas - England

Dear Anthony,

Almost everyone who has live rock in their aquarium has bristle worms. These polychaete worms come into the aquarium inside live rock and can grow large enough, i.e., about 25 cm, to damage corals, anemones, and clams. Aquariums with substrate that are overfed are very good breeding grounds for these unwanted pests. However, if this bristle worm is less than 5 cm, it should not be a problem. In fact, the bristle worm/fire worm, is one of the best scavengers in the aquarium. Yet, keep in mind it has poisonous setae or hair-like spines along its sides. If handled, these hair-like spines can easily break off and cause a painful experience if you pick one up without gloves.

If they do become large and noticeable, it is time to bait them out. I recommend taking a whiffle ball and inserting a piece of defrosted shrimp/fish flesh and wrapping the ball loosely with a lot of plastic fishing line. Use enough fishing line so the worm has some difficulty in finding its way through it to get to the bait in the center of the ball. Place the ball, weighted with a small weight, on top of a large net at the bottom of the aquarium late in the evening. Early, "very" early next morning, the worms should be intertwined/feeding on the bait. Simply grab the handle of the net and lift the whole affair out of the aquarium.

Another fairly good method in removing these pests is using a short length, i.e., about 10 inches, of PVC pipe. Drill some holes in its surface near each end, then place a piece of defrosted shrimp flesh in the center of the pipe and fill each end of the pipe with Eheim Ehfifix media. This course plastic media makes it slightly difficult for the worm to make its way to the center bait. Once there, the worm feeds and grows fatter and will find it extremely difficult to get out if you have used the right amount of media. By lifting out the length of pipe early in the morning and pushing a rod through the pipe, any worms inside can easily be extracted. There are also small traps used for trapping fish and/or unwanted crabs. They can also be baited and used to capture these pests.

Natural predators for small worms include the Banded Coral shrimp, Arrow Crab, the Dottyback Pseudochromis dutoiti/fridmani, and the Flame Hawk.

Hope this helps,

Bob Goemans

Hi Bob,

Thanks for your prompt response for every email I have wrote to you over the past two years. Due to Hurricane Jeanne I was without power for three weeks and because of that I drop in the beach what was left before everything was dead. Recently I purchased a generator that can handle my entire house so this will not happened again. I'm planning to start again my reef but this time with a bigger tank. I expecting a tank of 150 gallons for my new reef and my old 55 gallons reef will be use under the new one with the live sand and plenum (as a remote). By doing this the new tank will only have about 1 inch of sand. Can you answer these questions?

I plan to include soft corals, hard corals and fish for the reef (all fish included by me has been recommended by you. Thanks as always.) . I think that the most delicate corals that I will include again are green frogspawn and elegance.

Thanks as always.

Elizardo Medero - San Juan Puerto Rico

Dear Elizardo,

I'm saddened to hear about the loss of your aquarium inhabitants. Have also heard about other losses from a few other hobbyists spread throughout the southern portion of this country due to these hurricanes. In fact, over the past twenty years have experienced so many power outages in my area that when I built my office on the back of our home a few years ago, added a solar and wind generated powered system. It was large enough to run the aquarium's important equipment and if needed the refrigerator, TV, and some house lights. It has come in handy on several occasions! It has reduced my power outage worries, and your generator will do the same.

As for your questions, the plenum and the shallow bed and rock in the main system should adequately handle the biologically aspects of your new system. In fact, if you visit my website (saltcorner.com) and view my 180 system, it had a 60 gallon interconnected plenum system below it. It worked well!

When it comes to calcium reactors, have tried several different brands and have found those containing the most media and/or having duel reactors have worked the best for me. I've also found that either

CaribSea ARM or the German KORALlith the best media to use. And where calcium reactors are concerned, the 'trick' with these reactors is to find what CO2 bubble rate at what effluent drip rate produces an alkalinity effluent rate about 3 times greater than the aquariums desired alkalinity. Then stick with that bubble and drip rate, occasionally measuring it and tweaking as needed. As for brand names, I would suggest the Mini-Cal from Marine Technical Concepts, as that was the only brand that consistently did well, and I tried many different brands.

Both the UV sterilizer and ozonizer are not what I would call necessary equipment. They do provide a degree of insurance if that's the right word. They are nice to have, as is insurance, if something goes wrong. And if you can afford them, then have them, but suggest holding back using the UV unless there is signs of disease, as it will reduce valuable microorganisms that can serve as a useful foodstuff for your corals. Where the ozonizer is concerned, it's a useful way of maintaining good water quality/high Redox/ORP level, i.e., near 400. However, I suggest not using more than 5 mg/hr of ozone per 25 gallons of flow rate. Any amount up to 5 mg/hr of ozone can enhance foam production. Higher amounts of ozone oxidize the very organic material the skimmer is designed to remove thereby short-circuiting the adsorption process. I have a small inexpensive booklet on the subject that is listed on my website if that interests you.

You will need to improve your lighting and depending on just what coral species you plan on maintaining, wattage will have to at least double. Energy Savers has some new lighting systems with built-in moonlights that are quite interesting. Also, you may want to contact the folks at Sunlight Supply and discuss your needs with them as they have a personalized and friendly demeanor that you may find very helpful.

As for increasing the capability of your skimming, if you're satisfied with the present model skimmer, another placed at the opposite end of the aquarium should suffice. However, if you want to move to one unit, then the model type noted would be a good way to go. Suggest contacting Jason Kim, the owner and discussing your needs and the space where it will be placed. Also, if this is the model type you select, get the John Guess fitting placed on the unit. It's the perfect fitting to hook the drip line from your calcium reactor to so as to blow off any excess CO2/help increase the pH of the water returning from reactor.

When it comes to live rock, I generally recommend nothing more than about one pound per gallon. If the rock has been live, and is now simply dead, I would first place it all in a plastic garbage container and allow it to cycle for a week to ten days so any excess dead organic matter can be reduced before going back into a new aquarium. As for new rock, the flow into the country continues to change daily, so I prefer not to recommend any sources. If there's no local shops, then search the web for a place that guarantees their products.

My chiller was an Aqua Logic 1/4 hp drop in, and it functioned perfectly for my 180 + 60 gallon system. So you should be okay there.

When it comes to phosphate and silica removal, there are several brands that I have personally used. They are ROWAphos from Germany, Phosban from Two Little Fishes, Phosphate + Silicate Magnet from Marc Weiss Companies and most recently a liquid two-part product from CaribSea called Phos-Buster. All have worked exceptionally well. The first three products are a fine granulated media and needs, in my opinion, to be used in a dedicated canister filter. I used a Fluval model that had three internal baskets. I filled the lower basket with activated carbon, in a sack of course, and also cut up a Poly-Filter into small pieces. That filled the first basket. In the middle basket I placed a layer of filter fluff and spread about five tablespoons of any of these ferric hydroxide phosphate removing materials (iron-based products). Then cover the media with another shallow layer of filter fluff. Then did the same in the top basket, and then changed the media when the first sign of any phosphate reading appeared on the test kit. That worked well for me. Recently, I tested the CaribSea product, and that also worked quite well. In my opinion, the ROWAphos was the best of all four, however, quite expensive. Any would really do!

If the water in the old tank is stagnate I would not use any of its sand or rock until it is thoroughly cleaned and recycled. You can do so by placing it all in a container as explained above. Stir the sand in this container daily and use a powerhead to move the water in the container. After about ten days, both should be reusable.

And keep in mind, both frogspawn and elegance corals are medium light, medium current corals

I hope this helps, and keep me posted.

Bob

Dear Bob:

I hope this letter finds you and your family in good health and holiday spirits.

I am attaching some photos taken of my 58 gallon tank. As a person whom has been in the hobby for over 30 years, with over 20 years in the saltwater side of the hobby, the one lesson I learned very early on is that the longer you do this, the more questions you have. I have also learned, and taught (either students, or fellow hobbyists) that the only stupid question is the one not asked. So be patient with me, please.

A little history on my tank:

A 58 gallon Oceanic with a 20 gallon sump. The lighting consists of a power compact unit utilizing 4-96 watt bulbs (2-6700k, 2-700k, bulbs are 8 months old). A Top Fathom 100A skimmer is located in the sump. A Rio 3100 pump returns water from the sump to a Sea Swirl rotating device which uses a 90 degree return pattern. This tank was torn down and set back up 6 weeks ago after a very interesting algae infestation that caused the death of several tangs, crabs,and I believe a few acropora pieces. A sample of the algae is at the local university where a couple of friends of mine are investigating.

When I rebuilt the tank I did it per your specifications from your Live Sand Secrets book (an excellent resource I may add). This is my third attempt a plenum, with my first two attempts using old undergravel plates. My experiences were exactly as you describe in your book. I have been using deep sand beds in my tanks since the late 70's when myself and a couple of friends were breeding clowns in one of my friends basements. We had a lot of help form the local sanitation people who gave us a tremendous amount of information on sand filtration.In return we were doing some graduate school projects for the city.

Parameters for the aquarium so far are running true, except for my calcium level. II am having a difficult time keeping my calcium level above 275ppm. (Tested using a Salifert test kit, a Red Sea kit, a Hagan kit, and the local university lab). MY magnesium level is 1345, in the normal range. I have been using CaribSea aragaMIGHT in my evaporation water (per instructions on the bottle). Interesting is the fact that I can only get a calcium reading of 120 ppm in the evaporation water.

So here are my two questions:

1. It appears that I am going to have to bite the bullet and purchase a calcium reactor. My plans for the tank are to eventually have the majority of corals be acroporas. I will use the soft corals as trade. I have read your review of the Korallin Kalkreaktor and was impressed. My question concerns that reactor vs. a Knop reactor. It appears the Knop unit is around $100.00 less. In your opinion, is there a $100.00 difference in the reactors? I know one shouldn't make a decision based on price, but it definitely has a place in the decision process. Which unit do you prefer? I have heard some negative feedback on the Knop, but it is also been available longer.

2. The second question deals with algae in the tank. As you can see in the pictures, a little bryopsis is appearing. When I set the tank up, I was not able to leave the lights off for the time you recommend in your book. The tank was torn down for over a week before I rebuilt. I wanted to make sure the tank was dry and the previous algae problem was a thing of the past. When the tank was set back up, new rock (I purchased this rock from a gentleman who wanted to get rid of his tank. He says it is Honduran rock. The total weight in my tank is less than 35 lbs. The rock was completely covered with coralline algae (another reason for the low Ca levels), with various macroalgaes present. The coralline is receding somewhat, but I am more worried about the "nuisance" algaes. I did use phosphate remover for the first four weeks per your book, but have stopped using it recently. Currently the phosphate levels and the nitrate (nitrate-nitrogen) levels are undetectable using the test kits I have.

Any suggestions for algae control/ I have not introduced a large amount of snails or crabs as of this letter. I have around 30 astrea snails, with a good local source for more. I am hesitant to introduce crabs as I have no local supplier for good small crabs (red or blue) and have been stung in the past when ordering them. Also, I have seen good coralline growth tanks decimated by some the crabs people were sold as coralline friendly.

Thank you for taking the time to read my letter. I realize that this is the prototypical letter you receive every day, but all hobbyists appreciate your insight.

Tony Schall

Hi Tony,

Great letter and would be interested in what species of algae caused such a problem in your previous aquarium. When you find out, some feedback would be appreciated. As for your questions, I've never personally tested the Knopp unit but have heard some negative comments about it. Could be they were caused by improper balance of effluent rate and carbon dioxide usage. However, I have tested the Korallin Kalkreaktor and found it to be an excellent product. I also have found Marine Technical Concepts to have excellent calcium reactors. I would look at both their products and either would be a fine choice.

Since coralline production is quite dependent upon alkalinity level, which is somewhat in turn dependent upon calcium, magnesium, and pH level, it should make a strong comeback when the calcium reactor is up and running. As for algae control, Bryopsis should be removed when it becomes visible. Siphoning it out is the way to go because if you wait for herbivores to control it, spores will be released and they will settle elsewhere in the system and will continue to be a problem. Mechanically removing it with you as the main control point is the way to go if you want long-term success. Its life cycle is described in my Marine Algae Control Secrets booklet. As for Astraea snails, they are good diatom and short microalgae consumers, however, not too good for taller growths of what is generally referred to as hair algae. If your system stays low in nitrogen compounds (ammonium/nitrate), and phosphate and silica, nuisance algae will not become a problem if you stay after the present growths of Bryopsis.

Hope this helps,

Bob

Dear Mr. Goemans,

I've wanted a marine aquarium for years. It started when I was about 10, got worse after my parents took me diving in the Caribbean, and has basically continued to build over the last few years. Alas, when I finally have the money for a tank, I'm in a dorm room.

However, it recently came to my attention that a decently cared for nano aquarium can be successfully run by even a beginner. I'm thinking about getting a 12 gallon Cube. What I plan to do is have a one specimen tank at least to get the hang of things. Past that I have some questions.

1. I want to place some Live Rock and Live Sand in the tank, especially since I think this would be the primary means of filtration for the system. However, I'm not sure as to how much of either ought to be placed in it. Does the rule of 1 pound per gallon still hold true in such a small tank? The primary wonder, though, is on whether a Deep Sand Bed (DSB) or a plenum would benefit such a small system. After extensive searching, I can't seem to find any reasonable opinions on the benefits, if any, of either system in such a small system. And if a plenum or DSB is recommended, how deep should the sand be (I'm looking at 1 - 2mm sand grains at the moment). It's doubly important because a 4" plenum in a small tank is a significant amount of room, but I really want a good solid and stable setup.

2. Would a system with the recommended biological filtration still require a skimmer? I'd like to buy one, but haven't seen much in the way of small protein skimmers. Is there a small effective skimmer you can recommend, or should I look into building a small one? Also, I've heard there are some pumps that actually function to mix the air and water, but haven't seen any. Do you know of any such models?

Thank you for your time and dedication to marine life and systems. Your website was very informative, and was in fact the first truly reasonable discussion of several issues I've found.

Thank you,
JT

Hi JT,

Thanks for your letter and the 'nano' system approach is catching on and is actually a good way for many new to the hobby to get their feet/fingers wet, so to speak.

In such small systems I'm of the opinion that neither a plenum nor deep bed is the correct approach. In these type systems, a bare bottom or shallow bed of about one inch or less is the more correct/reasonable approach. The goal with these small systems is generally to maintain species that will do well in these small confines and continue to be visible. If too crowded with live rock, or corals that will outgrow the container, not only will its inhabitants be too confined, they may become stressed, leading to poor health.

If I were to set up a similar size system, it would contain about an inch of 2 - 5 mm sand, about five pounds of live rock, some easy to maintain and fairly low light and low water movement corals, such as mushrooms, brain and/or Euphyllia corals, two or three small fish, and possibly a cleaner shrimp. As for a skimmer, there are a few small hang on models, however, I've not tried them, so you'll need to experiment. However, if the system is properly set up and the bioload is kept quite low, the skimmer is not needed. And as for biological filtration, the goal with nano systems is to maintain a biologically balanced environment so that major external filtration equipment is not needed. And this is very possible if the bioload is kept low. As for water movement, a small powerhead concealed within the rock decor should suffice. And if some forethought goes into the setup, the powerhead and its cord can be camouflaged with pieces of small rock cemented to it and placed so the entire 'assembly' can easily be removed for service when needed, such as in the corner of the tank. And as for the pump providing an 'aeration' source, that would result in a lot of splash/salt creep in the area where the bubbles reach the surface, and be a constant maintenance problem. Besides, if the bioload is kept low, an additional source of oxygen will not be needed. It's the old "KISS" way of thinking, and quite appropriate for nano systems.

Hope this helps, and glad you liked my website. Recently, my website was given permission to be the first in the world to post the latest revision of the Butterflyfish Taxon. Check it out.

Bob

Dear Mr. Goemans

I'm in Mexico thanks for your valuable information you share with us, here in Mexico information for our hobby flows very slow and is very hard to find, thank to the internet this is possible now. I know you are a bussy man and I like to ask you just a few simple questions regarding sand bed systems.

I have a 150 gal system for about 8 months with a 2 in. crushed coral layer a two tower tricke filter with a 24in. ventury skimmer, I have been having problems with nitartes all the time, never stable between 10-20 mg/l. So, I find your "Live sand secrets" book and I'm going to connect a 50 gal auxiliary live sand system to my tank, I have everything ready, my plenum, subtrate from carib sea, seaflor special grade aragonite and aragmax for the top layer, live sand, live rock curing, my pump, salt your book etc.

My questions are:

1- Can I fill the 50 gal tank with water from the 150gal tank and refill this with new water?

2- When should I conect the 50 gal to the 150 tank?

3- I like to remove the bio media for the trickle towers , should I remove both or just one and live one for oxigenation?

4- When remove the media, after I connect the 2 systems?

5- Can you recomend me a gal/per our flow for this system?

Sorry about my english I hope you can understand me.

TANKS IN ADVANCE

Best regards

Mauricio Zamudio

Hi Mauricio,

Thanks for your email and my wife was born and raised in Hermosillo. Where about are you located?

I have found the availability of good information lacking in many countries, however, the web is helping us hobbyists become better informed.

As for your project, I'm glad you contacted me as AragaMax should NOT be used for the plenum sandbed. It is too fine! Simply stay with a sandbed of 10 cm and use a sand grain of about 1 to 4 mm, preferably 2 to 4 mm. The CaribSea Seaflor Special grade will be okay. I would also remove about 2.5 cm of the existing substrate in your 150 gallon system as any depth over 5 to 7.5 cm can add some ammonium, a nitrogen product and plant nutrient, to the bulk water.

As for your questions, I would prefer you place the new seawater in the remote plenum system, then flow it at the rate of 25 gallons per hour back to the main system. Such a major water change in the main system would not be a healthy experience for its organisms. I recommend getting it started as soon as possible. And, the plenum system needs a couple of months to become fully functional. After that, remove the media in the trickle towers slowly over the next few months.

I wish I could find someone knowledgeable in the hobby "and" willing to translate my booklets into Spanish. If you know any one have them contact me, as they would be doing those in the Spanish speaking world a big favor!

Your English is better than my Spanish, but not my wife's! Hope this helps and keep me posted.

Bob

Dear Bob,

I really appreciate your help and your super fast response in my last two letters. Talking about disease started me to think about the flame angelfish sold in Hong Kong or all the other marine fish sold here for that matter.

Unfortunately, it is quite fair to say that the marine fish trade in HK is appalling to say the least. It is run by a mere 20 or so shops in whole of HK. Traders are ignorant about their profession and they couldn't care less about the welfare of their merchandise - fish. Every poor little fish that are in their tanks or bags to be sold are either diseased or dying in front of your eyes. The fresh arrivals will become infected with whatever is in their tanks. Nobody seems to care, not even the buyers, and the business carries on as if there is nothing wrong with this situation.

It is a rare sight to see a healthy fish with vibrant colours still living in the tank after 2 weeks in the shop. So, it was a rare chance that I found this beautiful Flame Angel in apparent 'perfect health'. (Apparently it had arrived 24 hours earlier.) It had all the qualities you have described in your website about what a healthy fish would look like. Most importantly, the batch she was with did look quite healthy too. Anyway, she developed a whitish appearance to her mouth after about 4 weeks in my tank. (Sorry I didn't mention this to you earlier.) It appeared to have come from her over-grazing and over-pecking at the live rocks (if that is ever possible). I monitored her condition closely, and it did not get any worse but I can still see the whitish appearance around her lips. It does not seem to bother her, and there is no spreading of this whitishness.

I did check through the disease section quite carefully, but nothing seems to match her condition. It could be a bacterial infection of some kind, but nothing drastic like the Ick or Oodinium, Cotton mouth etc. She has been with me for 8 weeks now, and she is becoming little bolder, and slightly more aggressive in pecking at the live rocks. (I hope she is finding something to eat.) She is still moving around the tank normally with no apparent illness or poisoning except that she seems a lot thinner than when I first got her. (If I let her go will she survive in the Pacific Ocean? What would you do if you were in my situation?)

Thank you again. Sorry for such a long letter.

Kelvin Chu

Hong Kong

Hi Kevin,

Was just corresponding with someone who recently visited Hong Kong and said the same thing about the conditions in the local shops. In fact, I've been there three times a while back and the conditions were the same! In fact, there were bags of fish hanging from ropes strung along the fronts of shops or along the edges of the street!

I wish you had noted this condition in your previous letters, as this white fungus-like growth on the mouth is probably Lymphocystis. A quite new remedy discussed in my forthcoming book the "Marine Fish Health Handbook" is a test where a certain amount of a food-grade hydrogen peroxide solution at a 35% concentration was used to control undesirable algae, (with a good deal of success). It just happened to cure a Koran Angel of Lymphocystis. Nevertheless, Lymphocystis usually goes away without any special treatments and is generally not harmful unless it clogs the gills or mouth areas. I'm encouraged that the fish is acting somewhat normal.

There is a product called Melafix, an Aquarium Pharmaceuticals product, which is made from an extract of the Melaleuca tree, which has holistic antibacterial properties. If the problem is bacteria caused, this product can be used as directed even in aquaria with inverts. However, if the fish is experiencing Mycobacteriosis (Tuberculosis/Wasting Away Disease), which does cause the wasting away symptom, its one of the few fish diseases that can be contracted by humans. In humans, if the bacteria should enter a cut or wound, a lesion may develop, particularly in those individuals who are either immuno-compromised or depressed, or whose resistance has been lowered for some other reason. This open sore will not heal and can remain for long periods of time no matter what treatment is applied to it. Therefore, if you as a fish keeper should notice a cut that does not heal or worsens after a week, consider going to the doctor. Suggest to your doctor that you have marine fish and you suspect Mycobacteriosis could be the problem.

Furthermore, if your fish begins to lose body mass and becomes emaciated, with a characteristic bulge on its lateral areas just behind the pectoral fins, then I'm sure this is the problem. And if this problem 'does' developed, the entire tank will have to disinfected and all its life destroyed.

And as for putting the fish back in the ocean, do not do that! For now, see where it goes in your aquarium, and in the meantime, be watchful for any signs of wasting away disease. You're in a wait and see situation. I would also try some medicated flake food, especially one containing Spirulina if it can be found in your area.

Hope this helps,

Bob

Dear Bob,

I have a 3 month old 125 gal saltwater aquarium set up according to your Live Sand Secrets booklet guidelines. After reading your The New Wave book, I have several questions I was hoping you could answer.

1. Is a protein skimmer a good addition to the live sand filtration systems? On page 234 of your book you state that "Previous methods have favored indiscriminate removal of carbon micelles by foam fractionalization. This prophylactic treatment has perhaps been the center of some invisible problems. We believe the natural system should be tuned to deal with itself without the overuse of conveyer belt removal systems." I was planning to use an Aqua C for phosphate removal and aeration purposes (currently have a small inefficient skimmer), but don't want to limit nutrients necessary for sand microbes. Ammonia and Nitrite tests are 0; Nitrate (not Nitrate-Nitrogen) is 5 ppm; I am waiting for phosphate or oxygen level test kits. The tank is very lightly stocked at this point--only 2 small fish and 3 corals left over from my previous tank, which was taken down after 4 years due to severe algae problems.

2. I have a problem with diatoms on the glass sides of the tank, but no signs of any on the sand surface. This is a maintenance headache! My suspicion is that this is due to very high silicate levels in our tap water. When I test the RO water, the silicate level is still 1.0 ppm. I have ordered a Fluval canister filter and am going to use ROWAphos in one of the baskets, but am not sure if this will do the job. Am I right that silicates might be the problem? Do I also need to get an add-on to my RO system to boost the pH to remove more silicates? I currently use a high silica removal cartridge.

3. What is the proper average temperature for a reef tank and how many degrees of fluctuation should be allowed during a 24 hour period?

4. What is the easiest way to set up and maintain a quarantine tank? I really don't have the space for one, but know I need it. Do corals need to be quarantined?

5. I would like to add a Calcium Reactor in the future. Could you recommend some specific ones for me to look at?

Thank you very much for your help. I enjoyed The New Wave very much and know it will help me in my aquarium pursuits.

Barbara

Hi Barbara,

Thanks for your letter and excellent questions.

As for question one, notice the key words "the 'overuse' of conveyer belt removal systems." They were placed there to especially denote the possibility of 'over skimming' a closed system. Not that it happens frequently, but that it should be thought of in sandbed systems, especially those that rely on substrate filtration where bioload is extremely low. There are very few closed systems that would not benefit from common sense levels of protein skimming. However, where the nutrient level is quite minimal, skimming levels may be better begun at early evening hours and stopped in late morning hours. This would increase dissolved oxygen content during the most critical nighttime hours and marginally remove nutrients, preventing the loss of some of the microbe numbers in the sandbed due to insufficient foodstuffs. In a nutshell, it's an environmental balancing act, with the informed aquarist the major controller. I would definitely equip your aquarium with a better skimmer, and the brand mention is among the many I highly recommend. And when it come to picking the correct size skimmer, you may want to read my booklet "Protein Skimming and Activated Carbon Secrets" that is explained in my "Bob's Books" section of my website (www.saltcorner.com).

As for question two, your problem lies in the tap water used for evaporation makeup and water changes. It's caused by an over abundance of silicate. Silica/silicate is used in the structure of their cell walls (diatoms) and an overabundance of this element, usually anything over 0.2 mg/l may cause a rapid increase of this type algae. Note that this small level only needs to be present in the makeup water, not the aquarium itself to generate these quick blooms. Silicate is used quite quickly in the aquarium, hence fast appearing blooms. Make-up water, even if processed through an RO system, will still contain silicate. Very few RO units are affective at removing silicate. In fact, even quality RO units remove only about 85 - 90% of the incoming silicate. To remove all silicate from tap water, one must also utilize the proper combinations of resins in a well-engineered DI unit. I highly recommend the use of a SpectraPure unit, a combination RO and DI unit. In fact, the SpectraPure unit is only brand that I know of that removes 'colloidal' silica. Read my product review of their "Ultimate DI System" in my 'Book and Product Reviews' section of my website.

And yes, the ROWAphos powder will help reduce the silicate, however, it (silicate) should not be introduced in the first place. And as for the product, the correct and only way in my opinion to use it is in a canister filter, which is your goal.

As for question 3, my thoughts on this issue have always been a low of 76 to a high of 82 degrees F, depending upon season, with a daily spread of no more than three degrees.

As for question four, that really depends upon fish size, as you're looking at a thirty-day stay and want to make the specimen comfortable during that timeframe. Usually a ten or twenty gallon will do nicely. If the fish requires a sandbed to tunnel or burrow into, that media should be composed of inert gravel or silica sand, which can be found in many different grain sizes. Otherwise, recommend no sandbed. Calcareous substrates such as aragonite, crushed coral, dolomite and any other calcium carbonate type media should not be used, as they would remove copper if it became necessary to transform this tank into a hospital or treatment tank. Also, bear in mind that if medications are needed, any live rock will have to be removed, so it would probably be best to use inert, non-calcareous items for hiding places while fish are in quarantine. As for filtration, a sponge or corner box filter, or preferably an external hang-on biological filter, along with strong aeration is recommended. And generally, corals do not need to be quarantined, however, a good inspection is necessary to insure unwanted hitchhikers do not gain access. But that is not always feasible, but still a good idea.

As for question five, there are several brands, (Note, readers should contact me directly for my list of quality calcium reactors.) Again, visit my website for reviews of some of them.

Hope this helps.

Bob

Dear Mr. Goemans:

I wrote you a year ago (see below the letter) about the installation of a Freshwater plenum, and where you responded that I should remove the anti-dig mesh screen. I also made another change and used for the gravel 3 - 5 mm clay (In fact I use cat clay, without any additive of course). Do you remember?

"I'm going to start a new system with a 36''L x 15''H x 10''W aquarium. This will be a freshwater tank with 30 Paracherodon axelrodi and 4 Microgeophagus ramirezi and a lot of plants. I'll use a plenum as its main filtration system (I think I'll be the first in Mexico to use it in freshwater tanks). I can't find any reason not to use it in freshwater tanks, besides I think this is the way the rivers work in nature. I'm also going to document all the processes. I'll use 3 - 5 mm silica gravel for the plenum, and also use AZOO plant mixture. The layers in the plenum will be as follow: 1.75 inch for the first layer, then anti-dig mesh, then 1.25 inch for the second layer and finally .5 inch for the plant mixture. Could you tell me if these measurements for the layers and gravel are corrects? By the way, for the fish selection the temperature should be maintained high, but I read that the denitrifying bacteria might be affected. Is that correct?"

Let me bring you up to date: After a cycle stage of almost 3 weeks, I ran some tests and decided to start. The plants begins to grow and I add the fishes, calculate the quantity of feed, and everything begins to work exteremely well! It's actually fantastic!! The water is more than clean and everybody asks me how can I achieve that. Also it is about zero maintenance! Every month I clean the main Fluval internal filter, and after 6 months I change 25% of the water and clean the bottom just a little.

Every time I run some tests, the levels are almost 0. I think I must to publish this in order that all the freshwater aquarists know about it.

Thanks for your advice.

Regards

M.C. Raśl Antonio Aguilar Castillejos
Solutions Consultant
Vitria Technology, Inc.
Mexico, D.F.

Dear Raul,

You are among the many that have come back and said they are experiencing 'great' success with a freshwater plenum! Thanks for the feedback and wish you continued success. Keep me informed.

Bob

Dear Sir,

At present I have a mixed 50/50 tank of fish, and some corals. What I would like you to know is that I have recently purchased an emperor angel fish (juvenile) and have now read that in time as he reaches adulthood, he will devour my corals. Is there any way I can stop him from doing such a thing or is there any invertebrate out there that he will not touch and still have a tank with some corals.

With Thanks,

Lee Andrews - England

Dear Lee,

Thanks for your inquiry and as for changing feeding and disposition characteristics that have been built-in for centuries, such an endeavor is not feasible. However, depending upon the size of your aquarium, which should at least be 100 gallons for this type fish, you might limit certain types of invertebrate that this species would normally damage, such as zoanthids, mushrooms, and large polyped soft and stony corals. Small polyped stony corals, if you have the necessary environmental conditions, is a possibility.

Keep in mind you want to provide copious amounts of its favorite foodstuffs, such as diced fish/shrimp flesh and prepared foods containing sponge and algae matter. Could be, with numerous small feedings per day, it might become somewhat content and not forge on some corals. Yet, the nature of the animal is to continuously look for food and/or a mate, and even if well fed, it could still damage some of your corals.

And be aware that adults are prone to color loss or head and lateral line erosion, so be sure to feed HUFA enriched foods whenever feasible.

Cheers,

Bob Goemans

Mr. Goemans:

I've been reading your articles regarding plenum systems in FAMA for several years now and set up my first reef system almost 10 years ago following your advise (and I have to say its been quite successful!).

I'm in the process of setting up a FOWLR system with a display tank of 125 gallons and a 55 gallon tank underneath as a remote plenum. I believe I read in a recent issue of FAMA where you stated that you now believed a larger sand grand size of 2- 5 mm would be better than the standard special grade reef sand (CaribSea). Would the CaribSea crushed coral be a good size then? If so, that would be nice since its about 1/3 less expensive as their special grade reef sand. I assume the same depth of 4 inches would apply.

Thanks in advance for any advice you might give me regarding this question and especially thanks for your contributions to the hobby!

Joe Glasgow - Birmingham, AL

Hi Joe,

Thanks for your email and the crushed coral is a perfect substrate for plenums systems. And yes, the depth stays at four inches.

Cheers

Bob

Dear Bob,

I recently purchased a 7 inch Lookdown and keep it in 75 gallon tank with a few other peaceful fishes. Unfortunately it appears there isn't too much information for Selene Vomer in either books or on the Internet. I am wondering if you could assist me little. First of all, I thought he would be a very active fish and always be cruising around like a tuna or marckel. Mine seems to be staying in the same spot most of time (middle section of a tank) and once a while move around. Is it normal? Also how often I am supposed to feed him? So far he only takes live feeders, and show no interest on frozen shrimp nor silversides. Please help me.

Bob - Florida

Hi Bob,

Usually, Lookdowns (Selene vomer), which are quite hardy and are endemic species in your area, form big groups and cruise large areas. Since they get as big as a dinner plate, they need a very large aquarium, e.g. 240 gallons or larger. In fact, they are better suited for public aquariums, not hobbyist tanks. Hence, your aquarium is far too small, even for its present size! And that could be the problem as to its not cruising the aquarium, as its simply feeling 'caged' at this point. And when a fish does not act normal, it is to be viewed with much caution. A stressed out fish is quite susceptible to various pathogens, and a disease outbreak could be a real possibility in the very near future!

As to nutrition, they will eat almost any type meaty foods, and are voracious eaters. Of course, in the wild they feed upon live fish and yours has already been nutritionally 'programmed' and weaning it away from live foodstuffs may be difficult, but not impossible. I would try daily feedings of various marine frozen or fresh meaty type foods and see where it goes. And when you do feed live fish, use only marine fish, not goldfish feeders, which will have a negative health impact on the fish.

Even though an interesting fish, if it were me, I would return it to the wild, since it is an endemic species in your area, if I could not provide its necessary surroundings and foodstuffs.

Cheers

Bob

Hi there Bob,

Having kept marine fish with moderate success almost four years ago, I have now decided to come back to this great hobby and start up a new marine setup. Having read various magazines and spoken to various dealers I am somewhat confused by all of the new products and techniques that have come to the market! As such, I was rather hoping that you could pass on some much-needed advice!

The tank that I wish to setup will have to be around 100 cm x 50 x 70 (W x D x H) (about 100 US gallons) due to space limitations. I wish to setup a reef tank not just fish only. I have a budget of around £1000 (about 1750 US dollars) for the tank setup. I have been looking at the Deltec skimmers and Eheim II professional filters. However, I don't know if I would be better opting for a sump, etc? Also do I need a calcium reactor?

Please could you advise me what a suitable setup would be for this sort of budget and size of tank. Product details would be great as well, then I know exactly what I have to bargain for with the retailers.

Many thanks in advance, and keep up the good work!

Kind regards,

Adam J Powell

England

Hi Adam,

Welcome back to the hobby. As for new techniques and products, it is somewhat difficult to keep pace even for those in the hobby, as something new seems to appear every week!

However, what you need or don't need in the way of products and equipment will hinge on what type invertebrates you wish to maintain. In other words, if the goal is mostly soft corals, a calcium reactor probably won't be needed. Yet, if the goal is fast growing light loving stony corals, such as Acropora, then excellent lighting equipment, calcium reactor and quality protein skimmer would be required.

And if at all possible, I would recommend a sump tank be added to any type system. The main tank could have an overflow to keep surface scum from forming. The sump is also a great place to house some equipment such as the skimmer, heater, and system return pump. Or, it can serve as a refugium and still house the system return pump. There are many choices possible, all of which depend upon your goals. And I should note, there are many different type reef tanks, and until you quantify your exact invertebrate goals/types, it's not going to be possible to recommend specific equipment.

Yet, where your budget is concerned, I really believe you might be best served with a less complex system where soft corals are its theme. By the time you establish the system - tank, stand, lighting, sand, live rock, pumps, skimmer and various other necessary day-to-day products, the budget is going to be quite depleted. It may also be a good idea to shop around and get an idea of equipment prices before going any further. I would rather see you postpone the system if it can't be properly set up and/or maintained. And as for the equipment brands mentioned, they are among the best on the market.

I suggest formulating a plan where everything is written down, and that should include the type corals and other inverts along with fish you would like to have in the system. Also list all the equipment and products needed to accomplish that endeavor. Then price all the items. Once that far, we can talk more if you have further questions.

Cheers,

Bob Goemans

Dear Mr. Goemans

In 1979 I was fortunate enough to be stationed in Key West Florida while I was in the US Navy. At that time I became interested in the marine aquarium hobby. Now needless to say since I was in the keys I did not use synthetic sea salts. A few quick trips to the beach and I had my aquarium up and running. At that time undergravel filters were all we had. I improvised a system at that time using a power filter to hold a large amount of dolomite and a block of filter material. I termed this setup a bacteria pump and it worked quite well. Man what a difference today! With protein skimmers, UV sterilizers, plenums, live sand, etc. Well guess what, I am as lost today as if I were just starting those twenty some years ago. My questions are these.

1. I'm thinking of setting up a plenum in a sump using the Jaubert system with 1/2 live aragonite and 1/2 plain aragonite, and also a plenum in my 46 gallon show tank. I wonder if I use 1/2 live aragonite and 1/2 plain crushed coral in either plenum and possibly add 1 gallon of natural/live seawater to both systems, would that cut down on the amount of time the sand beds need to activate? Would there be any real biological benefit to this setup? And, should all of the live material be mixed with the "dead" sand to allow the tank to cycle quicker?

2. With all of this biological filtration will any mechanical filtration be necessary other than the skimmer?

3. I am quite ignorant about the many species of coral. What corals would be best suited to this type of setup with 160 watts of fluorescent lighting incorporating 6500K 40 Watt tubes?

4. What do the blue actinic tubes do for the tank and are they really necessary?

5. I have heard you say one needs to be patient when setting up this type of system. What specifically are the points one needs to be patient about?

Thank you so much for this awesome service and thanks for answering my many questions!

Jerry Sparrow - Noblesville, Indiana

Hi Jerry,

Its 'Bob" and thanks for your letter. Yes indeed, things have radically changed during the past two decades! And I think your last question about "patience" is probably the most important. If you don't have it while setting up your system, then usually something sooner or later develops and causes either a lot of wasted time to correct, or a lot of wasted money. Sometimes both! And with the tools available these days, beginning any size aquarium is quite easy 'if' you understand what these tools accomplish, how and why they accomplish it, how to use them, and which ones you really need to accomplish your goals.

As for goals/patience, some hobbyists may want a fish only system containing a mix of compatible tankmates. Or maybe a system designed for digging or burrowing type fish. Maybe a nutrient rich system for growing various types of algae. Could be a nutrient poor system for stony corals or a mixed reef system containing both soft and stony corals. Once 'direction/goals' is resolved, which includes the knowledge needed to adequately support the desired animals, its time to look at what's needed in the way of equipment to support that goal and what the budget will allow as to the size of the project. Once that's all out of the way and the aquarium and equipment is purchased, the systems biological processes need to be started. And whatever the direction, those biological/bacteria processes need to be implemented before animals of any significant size or quantity can be placed in the system. Keep in mind their waste products must be adequately processed, which the bacteria in certain areas of the system will accomplish. The thing to do is then get them, the bacteria, adequately established, and that takes some more patience! Its not an overnight process, and in fact, can take a month or more. Keep in mind, if the system were too quickly loaded with animal life, the fish would die in their own toxic sea of waste and some invertebrates would also be harmed or lost.

So much "PATIENCE" is not only needed in getting to the point of adding water to the empty aquarium, its also necessary for establishing the necessary biological processes. And whether those bacteria processes are established in a sandbed, trickle filter or fluidbed filter, its still going to take at least a few weeks to get them to the point where the various classes of bacteria throughout the aquarium are coordinated with each other and are delivering a useful/effective/safe end product. That is to say ammonia is quickly and safely transformed to nitrate. Then once the nitrification cycle is effective, bioload, especially that of fish as they produce the most waste, can then be ramped up slowly. Of course, how many are added and how often depends upon their size and feeding requirements. And if you want to understand just what classes of bacteria are involved, what they accomplish, and what areas in your aquarium they occupy, then recommend reading some of my booklets, especially my 'Natural Aquariums" booklet. You can view the Table of Contents of all my various books by visiting my website at saltcorner.com. In fact, there's a lot more information on my site that will help you in achieving your goals.

As for question 3, your goal appears to be a reef environment, one that will have to be limited to somewhat low light corals since your lighting is not adequate for those requiring more intense light. And if we move from there, then corals such as mushroom corals, brain coral (Trachyphyllia geoffroyi), bubble coral (Plerogyra sinuosa), Anchor Coral (Euphyllia ancora), Frogspawn Coral (Euphyllia divisa), Fox Coral (Nemenzophyllia turbida), Blastomussa merleti or wellsi, are among the good choices as they can do well on about 3 watts per gallon. And there are also a variety of feather dusters and shrimp that can be added and will also do well in this type environment. If you want more light loving corals, you'll have to double the presently available light. And if you do that, then other possible areas such as the heat generated will have to be addressed.

When it comes to Question 1, there are several answers. If a plenum were to be used in the sump, then this enclosure should mainly be used only for filtration purposes, not to house other equipment that require excessive water movement or block its sandbed surface area and/or interfere with its maintenance. And if this sump plenum idea is still feasible, it should 'at least' have a surface area of about one quarter of the surface area of the main tank. If so, then only a shallow sandbed is needed in the main tank, i.e., about one inch of sand about 2 - 5 mm in grain size. This is of course the same grain size as used for the plenum. And if the sump plenum continues to be feasible, than another plenum in the main tank is unneeded duplication, besides additional maintenance.

Even though I like and really prefer the plenum to be in an interconnected tank/sump (for efficiency and maintenance purposes, it really depends on whether or not that sump 'has' to be used to house some major equipment, e.g., a major size system water return pump or large protein skimmer. If that's the case, then maybe a another dedicated sump or tank for the plenum is needed if the user does not want it in the main tank. And as for the half-and-half thought, many go that way to save on the cost of all live sand. However, with so many quick bacteria starting additives on the market, the need for live sand has become greatly reduced, if not eliminated. Actually, the difference between using an additive on all dead sand and that of half-and-half may only be a few days of time in the initial culturing/nitrification process. And as for the use of a fairly expensive aragonite substrate, I used crushed coral in several plenum systems, and it has worked quite well over the long term. Yet these were fairly simply systems without many calcium demanding corals. And since your system may go this direction, i.e., less calcium demand, because of your limiting light factor, you might want to consider using only a quality brand crushed coral. In fact, it can be ordered with live bacteria. Hopefully this answer's your first question.

Thank goodness you have already decided to use a protein skimmer! It is in my opinion the most useful tool we aquarists have! Helps keep nutrients low and provides more dissolved oxygen in the bulk water. Anyway, yes, some simple form of mechanical filtration is needed, if only to keep course matter from clogging small water pumps. Yet, its not necessary for all the water to flow through this form of filtration, as I use it solely to capture floating flying insects attracted by the aquarium's lights.

As for 'blue' actinic lamps, that wavelength of light (420 nm) helps make the environment look more natural. Keep in mind that when it comes to the visible light spectrum, blue light is seen to penetrate the deepest. And in the coral reef environment in the wild, after about 15 to 20 feet mostly this blue light lights it as other wavelengths are filtered out. And since corals below about 15 feet utilize this blue light for photosynthesis, it is important for their wellbeing, besides simply presenting a more nicely looking environment in the aquarium to the human eye. And separate actinic-only lamps are useful in providing a sunrise and sunset photoperiod for all the animals in the aquarium. By having one or two of these type lamps coming on about 30 minutes before the main system lights come on and staying on about the same time length after the main lights go out, the animals are not overly stressed. And as for 6500 Kelvin lamps, I find them giving off a very yellowish light and if not incorporated with separate actinic lamps, the aquarium environment does not appear very natural looking to the human eye. Yet, the light itself, i.e., their available spectrum, is sufficient for the corals that need light. I prefer and use 10K lamps.

Hopefully, this answers your questions and keep me posted.

Bob

Hi Bob,

I have just replaced my 60 gal tank that had a crack in the bottom with a 75 gal tall, which will give me ample room for the 5.5 inches of plenum as per your recommendations in your Live Sand Secerts book. I recommend this small but informative packed book to everyone. Your column in FAMA is the first I read when I recieve each months edition and I consider them to be very valuable. Your research on the plenum system with Sam Gamble has been I"m sure very helpful to hundreds if not thousands of aquarist world wide, including myself.

Finally to my Main Questions. What water parameter test do your consider nessecary for a reef tank and how often should they be done. Are there any additional tests that you might consider good to do if the additional expenses are availiable. My tank is projected to have some soft coral, hard coral, filter feeders and some small amount of fish. I hoped to use Fiji Branch live rock , but have not heard whether it is usually encrusted with high amounts of sponges, tunicates, tube worms, and filter feeders as these are the critters that interest me the most. Just watching the live rock alone flourish and blossom is very exciting to me, but my wife says I am easily amused. Do you know if this type of rock has alot of these creatures or is there better type of rock for this purpose.

Sorry if I have a lengthy amount of questions but I consider your advice very valuable and straight forward. Also have noticed that your column in the beginning was in the back half of the magazine, but now has move up near the front which I take as a sign of success for you and your column, and as I see it is well deserved.

Thank you very much for your time,

Darrell Whiteaker.

Hi Darrell,

Thanks for the nice words. As for water tests, an established reef aquarium should be tested for nitrate once every month. The same with calcium and magnesium. Alkalinity every two weeks and pH weekly. As for iodine/iodide, since the kits available are still quite questionable, I simply recommend any of the better iodide additives having their recommended dosage divided into daily amounts then being dosed once or twice weekly as most recommend.

As for branching rock, which I prefer for many reasons, having a wide array of creatures attached is not one of those reasons. If your goal is these organisms, then carefully shop different stores for small pieces you can add. This way you steer clear of large bulky pieces of rock that may contain bristle worms and mantis shrimps. As for the organisms mentioned, I would highly recommend feeding a new product called BlackPower which is a plankton-type food that will encourage all organisms mentioned, and you can't overfeed the product as can happen with other plankton foods and ruin water quality.

I hope to have another booklet dedicated to water quality soon. Stay tuned!

Hope this helps,

Bob