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.
Bob,
I bought read and thoroughly enjoyed your book "Protein Skimming and Carbon Secrets".
I am currently questioning the value of adding recirculating pumps to protein skimmers. Have you or others written any papers evaluated the value/efficiency added by recirculating pumps?
I have started a discussion thread on the topic here: http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1008540
Thanks for your help,
Shawn College - Tampa, FL
Hi Shawn,
Sorry for the delay in getting back to you, but my wife had surgery last week.
High quality skimmers properly sized to the existing bio-load are not in the need of having their reaction chamber water re-circulated! Would less quality units' benefit or those improperly sized to the bioload? Possibly, - as their dwell time, bubble size and skimmer width/height may be inadequate. Nevertheless, the length of time for bubble-bombardment is then extended in these 'less' quality units, and to what degree this affects their (bubble) surface area/charge capability is not something quantifiable in my opinion. So guesswork will have to do, and there's one other factor to consider, - is someone making a profit from recommending and selling them!
Cheers
Bob Goemans
Hi Bob,
Although my alga problem is now 85% under control, my corals are still not doing well. A new saltwater aquarium store with beautiful corals just opened near me, and I am excited about making major modifications to my system (which I will tell you about in another letter). But for now, I'm wondering if you would mind sharing answers to a few questions:
1) Regarding the flow rate from tank to sump, how many water 'changes' per hour do you recommend?. (My tank is 500 gallons; Moe recommends 3 - 6 changes per hour which would require a pump that moves 1500 -3000 gal/hour....do you agree?). I'm guessing that the exchange rate need not be much greater than the flow through the skimmers, if the skimmers are the only apparatus associated with the sump.
2) I'm purchasing a MTC HA-3000 skimmer and plan to use my current ETS skimmer for ozone.
a) With such a setup, which skimmer would you have first in series: ozone first, then "non-ozone" skimmer, or the reverse order. If it doesn't make much difference, I may just buy one pump (Sequence 3500 gal/hr) to operate both, in which case the effluent from each skimmer would be mixed in the same compartment of the sump, negating the possibility of having one follow the other.
b) Given a choice, would you prefer a skimmer or an ozone reactor to add ozone? (As mentioned, I have an ETS already, but would consider purchasing a reactor if you think the reactor is superior.
c) Are you confident that ozone, used at the rate you recommend, is safe? (Sprung cautions about the possibility of ozone producing bromide toxins.)
As always, I value and appreciate your advice.
Thank you!
Hope all is well.
Jim McKinley
Hi Jim,
Thanks for the feedback, and the unwanted red algae, Asparagopsis taxiformis, has been a demanding and an exhausting battle to resolve, as discussed in your past letters! But I'm happy it's coming to a close.
As for your questions;
1) Water flow through the aquarium itself, i.e., around and over the coral animals, needs to be similar to what is experienced by them in nature. The sea is not a stagnate area and flow to and over the coral animal removes their waste products and brings important food and elements essential for their well being.
The stagnate water layer over the coral animal is called the "boundary layer" and its thickness is dependent upon the velocity of the water impacting the animal. The thinner the boundary layers the better the metabolic gas exchange. That relates to better carbon dioxide and oxygen exchange whereas thicker layers relate to slower diffusion rates that impede important calcification processes.
Even the delivery of valuable foodstuffs is impacted by water flow. If too slow, zooplankton may be able to maneuver its way around the coral animal. If too fast, the coral animal may not be able to capture the amount of zooplankton or phytoplankton needed to sustain itself.
How to describe the intensity of that flow is difficult to explain and words such as good or strong leave a lot to be desired. There are also varying degrees of water motion in the wild depending upon the season, wind conditions, time of the day and just where on the reef or lagoon the measurement is taken. As for the measurement itself, it is usually taken in inches per second, something the hobbyist would have difficulty in measuring.
To make the subject matter of water motion usable for most hobbyists I've decided to relate to the visible intensity of water motion on that of a long tentacle anemone. No visible tentacle motion is "0" whereas a slight movement of some tentacles is "1." If all the tentacles are gently swaying in the current it is a "2." If they all are moving fairly fast and bouncing into each other it is a "3." Should all the tentacles be driven with such force that they are extended in one direction or unable to sway back to their central position it's a "4."
Mushroom coral would require a #1 or #2. So would Carnation corals (Dendronephthya spp.). Most Acropora would do well in the #3 to #4 ranges. Cup or funnel-shaped corals, e.g., Turbinaria spp., also require the #3 to #4 ranges so as to keep detritus from collecting on their surfaces and their central areas healthy. Keep in mind that excessive water flow can keep the coral animal from properly expanding to capture light or needed foodstuff. It can also cause tissue abrasion or even rip the tissue.
Because pumps, especially powerheads, are susceptible to a slow buildup of calcium carbonate and slime, their efficiency diminishes with time. Keep in mind to setup a schedule to clean powerheads every six months and check flow rates of main system pumps at least yearly. Also keep in mind that many water pumps, and especially powerheads, usually fail to deliver their rated water flows mainly due to the situations surrounding their installation. Always purchase water pumps that will deliver more flow than what would be needed to meet system requirements. High pump flows can always be modified by using valves to reduce flow, but insufficient flows can not be rectified without additional equipment.
And as to 'possible' exchange rates so as to simply judge a main pump size, Dr. Jaubert in previous letters between us recommended 3 - 5 turnover rates, which falls into the Moe recommendation. And to achieve this, the main pump needs to slightly exceed that rate because of head pressure and turns and twists in its plumbing connections. And if you base animal movement on my above recommendations, a too large flow can always be throttled back with a gate/ball valve.
2) Excellent skimmer equipment, and its always better to have the skimmer not using ozone first inline because ozone would oxidize the very nutrients the skimmer is designed to remove, therefore reducing its foam production, if not eliminating most of it! Then somewhat downstream from that one, ozone can be applied to the second skimmer without being concerned about reducing its foaming capability. And as for an ozone reactor, it's a more complicated piece of equipment and suggest you not use it as your second skimmer (which ever one you choose as both are super products) is of excellent quality and should easily handle the level of ozone dispersal discussed in previous letters. And since ozone reacts with chloride and bromide ions in seawater, it results in hypobromus acid. Therefore, some salt mixes limit the use of bromide in their mix so as to reduce this possibility. Bear in mind the effluent from an ozone contact chamber must be passed over a bed of activated carbon to remove residual ozone before it returns the aquarium. Even though residual ozone is fairly short lived, usually less than an hour, the residual can damage fish tissue and invertebrates. Various manufactures make ozone test kits for those who may want to test for a residual in the flow before and after the carbon bed. Yet, a simple swimming pool test kit that tests for free chlorine or DPD 3, is suitable for assuring this possible aspect is within safe operating parameters, i.e., not to exceed 0.05 ppm for fish or 0.02 ppm for invertebrates. Properly controlled/metered amounts of ozone should not normally present any problems to fish and invertebrate.
Hope this helps and keep me posted.
Cheers
Bob
Dear Bob,
I am preparing to set up my first Reef tank and I have heard and read many of you articles on the Jaubert/NNR method. I have decided to use the method but the problem is that I have never been able to get the plans on how exactly to construct this.... I know you use egg create material covered with fiberglass window screen material with aragonite gravel covered by another screen followed by more aragonite.....what I am not sure about is how high should the plenum area be and how many inches of sand/gravel ? I am sure you have been asked these questions a million times and are tired of answering but I would greatly appreciate your help. In one of your Q&A articles a writer mentions reading your "booklet" could you tell me where I can purchase it as I am sure it will help me a great deal
One more quick question, I plan on using 3 Hagen 301 powerheads running all the time and three Hagen 801 powerheads set up on a Red Sea Wavetimer, do you think this will create enough water movement in a 150 gal. (72x18x24) tank. I will have 150 pounds of Fiji live rock. As far as lighting, I will use 4 140w VHO florescent 72" bulbs (2 50/50, 2 actinic 03) and two 175w MH lamps with 4000k bulbs (do you feel I should upgrade to 5500, 6500, 10,000k or will the 4000K be ok with all the florescent actinic lighting I have ? ).
I guess that was two more questions
Thank you very much in advance
Derrick Fowler
Hi Derrick,
I am just recovering from a computer hard disk crash and am behind in answering email. But…, that's the way it goes sometimes.
Live Sand Secrets is available through Champion Lighting & Supply, (800) 673-7822, - That Fish Place, (800) 786-3829 - or Pet Warehouse, (800) 443-1160 (under $10.). Also, amazon.com and Barnes and Noble. It will explain all you need to know to get started. There are also two other booklets you may want to consider reading before you set up the aquarium; Protein Skimming and Activated Carbon Secrets; and, Marine Algae Control Secrets. You would then be totally prepared to start an aquarium that would have long term success!
As for water movement, my system pump puts out 600 GPH. My wavemaker turns on/off two other pumps that each put out 750 GPH. At times, I surge 2000 GPH in my 125 gallon system. Does that answer your question? Good water movement is one thing overlooked by many hobbyists. As for light, you don't want anything below 5500K on the aquarium. Anything below that probably contains too much red spectrum, something algae prefer. Corals need the blue spectrum, which is found in greater qualities in the higher Kelvin rated lamps.
Hope this helps.
Bob
Dear Bob:
I am close to tears as I write this. There isn't much that can be done to help me right this minute, but perhaps you can settle some questions for me as we go forward. If we go forward.
We have a 75 gallon reef that we've been running since August 04. It's been doing really well. We bought the entire setup, lock stock and barrel, from a neighbor. We'd been studying up for a year beforehand, so we were ready to buy, and his desire to sell his setup was just fortuitous -- in other words, it wasn't a lark or an impulse buy, we really knew as much as one usually can before actually starting reef-keeping.
The tank came with about 50 pounds of live rock, a mix of crushed coral and aragonite substrate about 2" deep. Two powerheads have provided circulation for the Oceanic tank, which had an overflow box in the back left corner that allowed overflow into a 20 gallon sump below. The sump is divided with tank overflow passing first through a wet/dry trickle on the left side and then into an open compartment on the right with a Berlin classic skimmer set into it. With the water pumping into the skimmer and then simply falling back into that same compartment of the sump. Plexiglas dividers function to force water through chemical filtration between the wet/dry side and the skimmer side. Another powerhead ran the skimmer, which had an air pump attached to the venturi intake to increase bubble-making. Another large powerhead returned the water to the tank. Tank is lit by four 110 W VHO fluorescent lamps -- two actinic blue, one actinic white, and one super actinic.
Livestock we received in the deal included a purple tang, two blue chromis, and a yellow-tail damsel; five BTAs, one colt coral, and a mix of mushrooms, yellow zoes, green polyps, and button polyps.
The other very interesting things we received were all the original documents for the equipment and extensive notes from the first owner (not the guy we bought it from). Plus, five years of Marine Fish Monthly magazine (1995-2000 inclusive), which I've been reading almost every spare minute! (I've loved your columns there, btw; you and I agree about Marc Weiss products. I saw more life blossom with the LSB that I got with all this other stuff than I imagined was hidden there, and the Black Powder made everything very happy).
After letting it settle and cycle for a month and getting very good water readings, we added two maroon clowns (one big, one little) and another blue chromis to make a school. We replaced one of the older powerheads with two new ones. We did that just as a precaution because they seemed a bit sluggish. Then in November I took the entire tank down in order to add a plenum, sift and sort the substrate, and rearrange the rock. Everything had settled after that very well. We were starting to have a red cyano problem, to be expected at this stage in a "new" setup like ours, so we purchased the following: three turbo snails and about 15 Astraea snails; then, a month after that, 40 blue-legged hermit crabs; then, last week, about 15 larger red-legged hermits. They were getting the cyano under control and having fun.
Other than the cyano, progress in the tank was wonderful! We had two tiny new anemones appear; the mushrooms had grown from quarter size to as much as 2" across, the yellow zoes had colonized a whole new rock and were battling hordes and hordes of button polyps for control of even more real estate; the green polyps spread as well, some feather dusters appeared from some branch rock, and then even new kinds of mushrooms began to appear from the rock. Life was looking good!
Tuesday, when I walked in from work, the smell of electrical problem was so strong, I was at first afraid there was an electrical fire in our 1928 home. But after I took a few more steps, there was no doubt it was the tank. All the inverts were collapsed or closed, and the fish looked panicked. I checked the sump and saw that the new Poly-Filter was turning blue, and the smell from the sump was overwhelming. I called my local fish shop (LFS), and they confirmed my fear that it was copper causing the Poly-Filter to turn blue. But from where? Our best guess was one of the pumps had malfunctioned. Although all of them were still moving water, there didn't seem to be any other possible source (no one else has access to the tank), and the shop guy said that a pump could "fry" and leach copper and yet still be moving water.
I immediately pulled all the pumps, put in a new pump for a return, added all the activated charcoal I had in the house to the sump, and changed 20 gallons of water. I decided skimming and in-tank circulation could just wait since I couldn't afford to buy that many new powerheads that day (and it was the middle of an ice storm). The fish started looking better, but I was pretty sure I knew what was coming. Sure enough, by yesterday morning all the inverts seemed to be dead (except, intriguingly, some of the hermits). It looks like a neutron bomb went off inside the tank.
I don't have a copper test kit, nor have I found one at any store in town, but I don't even need to test to know that it must have been astronomically high. I mean, when my partner came home, she said it smelled like someone had been murdered in the living room (because of the copper smelling like blood to her health-care nose). It was so strong that after working with the tank for several hours I was nauseated. I can't even imagine how high it must have been.
I've since read more about copper poisoning, and now I am truly despondent. I'd like to ask a few questions before I do anything else, because I think this disaster may just take us out of the hobby for a while until we rebuild finances for it. But I want to be sure.
1. Is it true that a tank that has had copper in it is forevermore no good for anything at all? Can this tank ever again have ANYTHING in it? Or is it salvage? If it can have anything at all ever again, what?
2. The fish aren't dead yet -- should I find them a new home right away? We don't have another tank right now to move them to, and can't afford an entire new setup right away, either.
3. Is the rock and sand now trash? Is it true it will always leach copper back in? Do we need to start all over with new substrate and new rock? What about the PVC used for the plenum? What about the fiberglass screening used in the plenum?
4. The copper was so bad that my store guy's advice to "sniff test" the pumps to find the culprit is not helping, because they ALL reek of copper. I chose the newest powerhead, ran it in vinegar for three hours, then in freshwater for another 8 hours, and it no longer smelled of copper, so I used it to re-start circulation, but all the other pumps still stink even after the vinegar bath and at least a few hours of freshwater. Should I assume they are all now useless? Or is there some way to test them? Run them in a bucket of saltwater and test for copper? Any ideas?
5. Is the sump tank now also ruined? What about its components -- the Plexiglas, the egg crate, the PVC piping, the rock used for the trickle filter (which does not appear to be live anyway, looks like base rock)? What about the skimmer?
6. How about the hoses between the tank and the sump?
7. What about other fittings? The acrylic used to build the overflow, the plastic fittings on powerheads and the return hose, the heater?
8. Is there any possibility this was caused by something other than a pump? We put a new VHO bulb in last week, and we don't use a cover between the water and the bulbs (anemones needed more light) -- I can't fathom that this would have caused it, but I want to cover every possibility.
9. Are there any questions I should have asked that I haven't thought of?
From what I've read, it sounds as if I should give away the fish and throw away everything but the stand and hood and light fixtures. But that means we are finished with reef-keeping for the foreseeable future; we spent a lot getting this one and getting it running well, and we just can't afford to re-buy every single thing right now.
At a minimum, I need to realistically ascertain what, if anything, we can keep for future use, and whether we should give the fish to new homes. I do not want to kill anything else!! If there is realistic danger of future leaching from any of these materials, I will throw them out rather than torture more creatures.
As I said, I am simply crazed by this. I loved these animals. I never knew you could love invertebrates, but I did. This was my joy and recreation and turning into my passion. I was even fantasizing about getting into coral farming some day. I guess this will test my love, but .... wow.
Sorry this is so long, but I figured you'd need all the data to offer any meaningful advice.
Thanks so much.
Julia Belian - Omaha, NE
Hi Julia,
My passion for this hobby is no different than yours and when I see letters such as yours they are immediately moved to the top of my list and get answers ASAP.
When it comes to the situation in your aquarium, I've seen similar happening discussed over the Internet and in fact three similar happenings occurred here in my hometown of Tucson, Arizona. From what I read on the Internet and the cases here, all tank failures were caused by the failure of old model powerheads. In each case that I know of, the pump either slowed down or shutdown completely due to clogs, which caused it to overheat. This in turn cause their protective coverings to swell and cracked, allowing seawater into the internal coil area. Whatever oily substances, besides copper leached out into the aquarium, I'm not sure. But the result was a death sentence for the invertebrate and some fish in these systems. Part of my on-going advice was to carefully inspect their remaining powerheads and be sure they were running cool and normally. I did the same with my own powerheads, as I was using many different brands and sizes at that time in my own tanks.
And even though I have always been careful when it came to anything mechanical, some other aquarists experienced serious problems, which may have in all fairness been possibly caused by their own failure to keep the pumps operating properly. Nevertheless, any and all such equipment needs to be periodically inspected to assure they are continuing to function properly. Easier said than done I realize, but in many cases we have only ourselves to blame. In fact, in your case, a clog could have been caused by one of the snails or hermit crabs you added.
As for your questions;
Whether the tank is glass or acrylic, it is still useable. Simply flush it with freshwater and reuse. If glass, the silicone seams may contain some small amounts of copper, however, if so it's a marginal amount. If the tank is used for inverts, always keep a Poly-Filter somewhere in the system where its water will flow through it. A canister filter would be ideal!
Your biological filtration has no doubt been damaged and the remaining fish may be subjected to high levels of ammonia and nitrite until the nitrifying bacteria reestablish themselves. I would test for these parameters. If the local fish store would take them until you are ready to reestablish the system, that would be nice of them. If not, after making sure all dead and dying matter is removed, and no further inverts exist in the tank (they would be damaged by any remaining small amounts of copper), I would vacuum the substrate and accomplish one major water change and feed lightly the remaining fish until things begin to look normal in the tank. Make sure you continue to use a Poly-Filter in the system and change as needed.
If the system is to again house inverts, the use of the existing sand and rock is highly questionable. I would first go the road discussed above until the fish and aquarium environment again look healthy. All the time monitoring copper and keeping a Poly-Filter going in the system. Once things look good, I would try some inexpensive inverts, such as snails, and see if they continue to do well. If so, then move up to some other inverts and if doing well, continue on. The plenum grid material will not be a problem.
As for the existing pumps, if they are anything other than the newest model pumps available, I would consider them chancy at best. In fact, not worth a second try!
As stated earlier, the glass, Plexiglas, acrylic, plastic items need only a good flushing. The rock in the trickle filter is questionable, but if drained and flushed, "may" be useable.
Again, get a copper test kit and also ammonia and nitrite test kits. Get a handle on the present water parameters and take it a day at a time.
Hope this helps and keep me posted.
Bob
Hi Bob,
Thank you, thank you, thank you, for such a fast reply. We have pulled the remaining fish out (one of the chromises died, just horrible, you can see the internal hemorrhaging through his flank!) and are taking them to the local fish store now. I am not certain whether he will "kennel" them or whether we have to let him take ownership, but either way, they'll have at least a chance of survival.
Your answers make sense (as I always think you do!) and while I'm not glad others have had this problem, I'm reassured to hear that at least it's not a totally freak occurrence.
Let me ask you this. On the LFS guy's advice, and with some reservations that may be irrelevant here, we dosed the tank with erythromycin to kill the cyano the day before this happened. It makes no sense to me that the two could be related, but the coincidental timing seems very odd also. We turned off the pump to the skimmer, but otherwise changed nothing while the erythromycin was in there -- for about 24 hours. Is there any way they could be related, any way the drug or the fillers of the tablet could have ... I don't know, set off some kind of electrical reaction? Or been the source of the clogging?
Or caused the thin membrane in the pump to fail? I just don't think coincidences for no reasons are all that common.
Thanks again. I'll let you know how it goes in the future.
Julia
Hi Julia
Using Erythromycin may kill the cyanobacteria the first time around, however, further blooms will become more resistant to the drug. It is much wiser to get to the root of the problem than to put antibiotics into the aquarium and negatively affect system biological filtration. If the need arises to quell a serious cyanobacteria growth, there is one product, Boyd Chemi-Clean, which causes the cyanobacteria to dissipate within a day or two. I've tested the product, and found it very effective, besides being reef safe. Anyway, knowing that some cyanobacteria is normal in all aquariums, I would never want to kill it all, just halt major blooms. And the Boyd product is a far better choice than those containing Erythromycin. You may also want to simply try putting a tablespoon of "brown" sugar in your aquarium once a month. That will basically cause the same type of processes/self-reduction, but not as fast as the Boyd product.
And as for a coincidence, probably so, as I can't relate adding the anti-cyanobacteria product to the cause of the copper release. Probably just a bad pump or was clogged by a snail or hermit, as mentioned in my previous letter.
Cheers
Bob
Dear Mr Goemans
I have read your booklet Live Sand Secrets and would greatly appreciate your comments re the following:
I currently have a reef system (approx 180 gals) consisting of 3 tanks linked together sharing a common trickle filter/sump. Two tanks contain a little (0.5cm) substrate and the other approx 3 inches of CaribSea Special Grade Aragonite Reef Sand. I will shortly be adding another 4ft x 2ft x 2ft tank to the system and wish to setup your plenum system.
* Will this size tank be large enough to 'support' the rest of the system?
* Will the sand mentioned above be suitable?
* Approx what hole size should the separating screen/mesh have (I do not think this is mentioned in the booklet).
* Should the new tank run on its own for a few weeks/months or is it OK to connect it to my existing system straight away?
I found your booklet extremely interesting and feel it has helped my understanding of closed marine systems several fold.
Thank you in advance
Richard Downham
Hi Richard,
Thanks for your email. As for the new tank supporting the others, I think it may and I will be testing something similar in the near future. The sand will be okay, however I prefer the Seaflor Super Reef grade. Due to a recent computer hard disk crash I don't have the mesh size of common widow screen handy, however it's pretty standard throughout this country. And, as for connecting the new tank to the existing system, I suggest first waiting a few days and allowing things to settle. Then starting with gradual flow and over the coming weeks increase it until the GPH flow from the new plenum system is equal to half its volume. I would also suggest using the Marc Weiss Bacter-Vital to get the new system initated and up to speed microbially as soon as possible. Hope this helps and you may want to read my other two booklets, Protein Skimming and Activated Carbon Secrets; and, Marine Algae Control Secrets.
Bob
Hi Bob,
I live in Arkansas, but work in the Southeast Florida/Georgia for 3 weeks out of each month. I mention this because as you will see, my Grandmother cares for my aquarium while away. I began keeping marine fish about three years ago when the "Finding Nemo" movie came out. My Grandmother always had freshwater fish for as long as I can remember, so when I saw the movie, I thought I would get her a marine tank. Little did I know how much I would have to learn in order to take care of it! In a way it's the best lot of money I have ever spent. She feeds them and keeps an eye on the pH meter and everything else, and "somewhat" cleans the tank. When I come home, I clean it spotless and do about a 25% water change with water I get from my local fish store (LFS). I have kept the makeup water in a 14 gallon container with the pump hooked to a level controller. In this old tank, a 46 gallon Bowfront, I had one float in the tank and the other in the makeup water container to protect the pump. After the 2nd flood my grandma wasn't very happy, - actually either time! And there was almost a 3rd flood, but I was present and saw a snail camped out on the float. I moved both floats in the tank and said the heck with that method of controlling the water level.
I also had a nitrate problem in this old tank. I don't think the skimmer was working right, and I kept reading about a deep sand bed, and made mine about 3 inches, but my mistake may have been its grain size was too large. I should also mention I tried a denitrator, however, it kept stopping up and back flowing Hydrogen sulfide into the tank. It stunk bad. But that's all in the past, as that tank started leaking and now have moved on to a new and improved one, which was about 5 months ago.
My new tank is a 72 gallon Bowfront with a sump in the stand. I didn't like its filter sock because it would stop up and the water would just overflow out of it in about 3 days. So I started looking for a new sump about 3 months ago. I was working in Ft. Lauderdale and there is a Big Al's store there that just opened and I found the perfect sump while I was there. It's an All Glass Aquarium Megaflow sump. I installed it last month, and I took out the bio-balls and put some carbon and phosphate filter pads in it and a filter floss pillow in their place, and it's working like a charm. I have at least 6 inches of filter media now and the water is crystal clear.
I also read your books last month and got a magnesium and phosphate test kit last month, but only got around to doing a phosphate and iodine test. I was expecting to have a high phosphate reading, but I didn't. The reason I was expecting the phosphate to be out of kilter is that ever since installing the new tank I haven't been running a skimmer. Reason being I was experimenting. In fact, my old tank was always barren of any algae other than Coralline Algae. When I first set it up I was told about the bad hair algae and the good algae - "Coralline." I purchased some coralline starter pegs from Indo Pacific Sea Farms and quickly had good Coralline growth. My Yellow Tang took care of everything else. About this time I put in the SpectraPure LiterMeter and started dosing ESV Bionic. The coralline algae grew everywhere - "careful what you ask for" as I mean everywhere. I also got about four rocks of Maidens Hair, which is "beautiful stuff," because I read that Tangs won't eat it. Within about 1 month of putting it in, it all disappeared for some reason, but I left the rocks in thinking that it would start growing back sometime.
Tommy - Arkansas
(Continued next month.)
Hi Tommy,
Thanks for the follow-up email, and a look at the 'bigger picture.' There's much to this hobby that doesn't meet the eye when its first attracted to a beautiful reef aquarium, or viewing a movie such as Finding Nemo. And even though this movie was quite entertaining and colorful, in some ways it did a disservice to the wellbeing of many forms of marine life. But that's another story, and this is not the place to voice my thoughts on that subject.
I've read your letter several times and besides answering your questions, would like to comment on some of its other aspects in the hope it helps provide a better environment in your aquarium and benefits your future endeavors.
As for floats, been there, done that, and had similar problems. Two of my favorite products for resolving the evaporation make-up situation has been the SpectraPure (LiterMeter) and those from ReefDosingPumps.
Your thoughts on a somewhat deep sandbed that used course sand and possibly resulted in an unacceptable nitrate level are probably correct. If the sand grain is too large, e.g., over 6 mm, the dissolved oxygen content stays quite high throughout the depth of the bed and only nitrate results. In other words, there's not an appreciable amount of anaerobic area to further reduce, or sufficiently impact the nitrate generated above. A more correct approach is a shallow bed, e.g., about 2 inches, using a finer sand grain (2 - 5 mm). The nitrate is then produced in the upper half inch of depth, and below that, reduced to nitrogen gas/ammonium. And keep in mind, in this area there will be 'two' forms of denitrification, each being accomplished by a separate class of bacteria. I won't go into scientific terms, but one only exists where a small amount of oxygen remains, and it reduces the nitrate to nitrogen gas. Great, and that's the process that benefits the aquarium environment the most, as it rids the aquarium of an algae nutrient. But below that area, where less oxygen or none exists (which makes up the majority of the "deep" bed), another class of bacteria exists and 'only' reduces nitrate to ammonium. And that parameter is the most beneficial to algae! So the choices are clear in my mind - stay with a shallow bed of no more than a couple of inches and use a size sand grain (2 - 5 mm) that behooves this form of denitrification/microbial process/balance.
You mention a visit to Big Al's Aquarium Supercenter near Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Just happens the manger of this first Big Al store in the US is a close personal friend, and also a co-author of my latest book titled 'Marine Fish Health Handbook.' In fact, Martin Moe Jr. has written its Foreword, besides reviewing its content! As for this new store, which is over 18,000 square feet containing over 40,000 gallons of water, I'll bet you were highly impressed, not only with its size and content, but also its friendly, knowledgeable, and informative employees. And from what I hear, as I have yet to visit the store, its Tuesday night feeding of sharks in its 5,000 gallon shark tank draws an immense crowd of viewers.
You also mention 6 inches of filter media and that you now have crystal clear water. Keep in mind the reef keepers' goal is not 'crystal clear water,' but that of 'quality water' that is high in oxygen, low in unwanted compounds and chemically correct. If the reef keeper's water was always filtered to the crystal clear stage, various valuable water borne micro-life would soon diminish, thereby reducing the supply of them to many animals in the aquarium that utilize them as a foodstuff. Clarity and quality are two different goals! And as for filter socks, they are a great way to eliminate tiny air bubbles that some skimmers give off, or polish the water from time to time (if necessary). But in my opinion, they are not something the entire system water should continuously flow through. And more than one should be kept on hand, and replaced as needed while the old one is cleaned in a solution containing a little bit of household bleach.
Hi Bob,
In the first month of this new tank I didn't have a skimmer that would fit the sump, so didn't use a skimmer while waiting on the Euro-Reef I put on order. Well, when I got back home 3 weeks later the Maidens Hair had went through a growth spurt. So I thought it was something like in the old tank where the skimmer did not work too well and did not pull out the nutrients, and this is something this algae needs. So I haven't been running a skimmer for a good 5 months.
And the Maidens Hair grass grew well, but the Tang eats it and keeps most of the rocks trimmed down except on a rock on the top right in front of the return outlet. He won't eat the grass on that rock. I have read somewhere that if the grass is healthy the tang won't eat it, but if not, the plant doesn't produce the deterrent compounds enough to prevent perdition.
So until recently, it has done well, but last month the grass seemed to have stalled growing and I was getting a lot of bad algae growth, both slime and hair. So I installed the Megaflow sump last month and installed the Euro-Reef to see what would happen. I had initially planned on running the skimmer only at night to help with the pH swing, but it was taking so much gunk out from Day 1 that I left it running full time. Even without the skimmer I never got a trace of ammonia, nitrites or nitrates.
New Equipment plans:
Last week I contacted you about your opinion on Calcium reactors. Since then I discovered the Schuran Jetstream1. If that is not the best reactor out there I will eat the $800 I paid for it. It's smaller than the Knop or the Korrallin and rated for twice the aquarium size and it looks beautiful. It's rated way higher than my tank even remotely requires, but the CO2 regulator I got for it says it can be adjusted down to 4 bubbles per minute so I should be able to make it work. If not, I will hang it on the wall as a Sculpture. I just hope my grandma doesn't see the invoice.
Before I visited your website last week I was planning on getting a SpectraPure 5 stage SP2000 RO/DI unit to start mixing my own salt and am thinking of going with either Instant Ocean or Reef Crystals. Any opinion on this brand? Anyway, since reading your review of the Ultimate DI, I gave them a call and I hope my grandma doesn't open it up and see its invoice!
I also ordered an Aqua Controller 3. I definitely hope she doesn't find the invoice for this item! And it will control the CO2 into the reactor. Schuran says that no CO2 reaches the tank, but I don't know. So I plan on hooking it up just in case.
The last question I have for you is that I can have the controller turn the LiterMeter on when the pH goes down to say 8.15. My question is what can I put in the container to buffer the pH that won't cause adverse effects? I have never dosed Kalkwasser, but from what I have read it will bring up the pH. I just worry about the Calcium precipitating out of solution. What about the SeaChem 8.3 Buffer I use? If I remember correctly it says it has no adverse effects and can be used regularly. Maybe I could find a liquid buffer? The calcium reactor should replace all other trace elements as well as magnesium so when I get everything working right the pH should stay stable.
Well I am terribly sorry this is so long, but really appreciate your comments.
Thank you for your time,
Tommy - Arkansas
Hi Tommy,
As for Maiden Hair (Chlorodesmis) or what is sometimes called 'Turtle Weed,' there's much truth to it not being on the menu of many herbivorous fish because of its unacceptable taste. But it's a nice looking alga, and one that can serve as a hiding place for micro-crustaceans. And exactly why its grows in cycles, I'm not sure except to say that it requires very bright light and excellent water movement (the force of the flow is probably what keeps the tang away), and of course, the nutrients it needs to flourish. It's very possible, depending upon environmental conditions, that this alga will wax and wane. And as for some animal eating it, could well be that if another more preferable foodstuff is not available, then this is better than nothing. And even though its uptake of nutrients is somewhat a good way to reduce those in the bulk water, the alga itself would have to be harvested/removed from the aquarium to help maintain better water conditions. Not allowed to feed a fish, which then returns much of these nutrients in its waste products.
And when it comes to denitrator equipment, they are becoming much improved; yet, caution is advised if you're going to use one. They require diligent upkeep, both during and after startup. And in my opinion, are not tools for anyone new or even fairly new to the hobby, or those that can't oversee its operation 24/7. There are other safer ways to reduce high levels of nitrate, which we can discuss in the future if need be.
Operating any aquarium without a skimmer is highly questionable in my thinking. In fact, I don't recommend it unless it would be counterproductive to the goal of the system. And if the goal is to have an aquarium full of Chlorodesmis and other algae, then the skimmer is not needed. In fact, slime and unwanted hair alga is a result of excess nutrients, even though you say nutrients appear to be nonexistent. I guess we should discuss what brand test kits you use and how you test, but let's do that another time.
Where most aquariums are concerned, the reduction of unwanted nutrients and increased oxygenation are top goals. And both can be accomplished by running a quality skimmer on a 24/7 basis. That probably became evident by the amount of gunk your new skimmer pulled out daily! A lesson learned. And keep it running!
The Schuran Jetstream1 is a brand/model I have no experience with, nor feedback from anyone using it. Hopefully it serves you well, and would appreciate your feedback in the future. As for the SpectraPure Ultimate DI, it's a great product and my top choice when it comes to processing my tap water. As for a brand of salt mix, I've used almost every one out there! Both Instant Ocean and Reef Crystals are among the best. The only difference between them is that Reef Crystals calcium content is slightly higher than that of Instant Ocean, something that may not be too important when using a calcium reactor.
You seem to think a pH of 8.15 is too low. My preferred range for pH is 8.0 - 8.2, and would not recommend using any products designed to force it higher. Keep in mind that normal everyday natural seawater pH is about 8.0 - 8.2! And yes, the SeaChem product is very good, but use it only if really needed. Nonetheless, if any brand buffer is used incorrectly, a sequence of events occur that affect calcium and alkalinity, which then affect pH. It usually turns into a battle where calcium is ok one day, but pH is a little low. Then buffer is added and pH is higher, but calcium is lower. Baffling for some, and the war goes on that way until people realize the higher pH is not really needed and they have precipitated a large amount of calcium and wasted time and money in doing so.
In your next letter, mention your brand test kits and results, as that would be helpful to see the water quality bigger picture. (I'd not bother with iodine tests, as the kits in the trade are not yet too accurate - but we can discuss that more if need be.) And as for the reactor keeping the magnesium at a correct level, don't be too sure of that! The correct magnesium level is tied to the specific gravity (SG) of the system. You must know it to judge whether or not the magnesium (Mg) level is correct. And magnesium content will fluctuate depending upon the type of media being used in the calcium reactor. So it's wise to check both SG and Mg to be sure it's in the correct range.
Hope this all helps and say 'Hi' to grandma for me.
Bob
Hello Mr. Goemans,
I just bought and read your Live Sand Secrets book/guide, and absolutely loved it! I am running two aquariums right now, both "fish" only, with a plenum system. I entered the hobby as a way to gain some comfort for my patients in my waiting room. (I'm a dentist.) But I have become more and more intrigued with the hobby. I had a tank added to my home, and have the same gentleman taking care of both.
However, I am now looking to begin a new tank in my kitchen; a reef tank this time (with a few fish), and want to know more so that I can perhaps "take over" the maintenance of the tanks on my own. The man taking care of the tanks knew enough to convert our "undergravel" systems to the plenum, but after reading your book, I am not sure he really understands or knows much about the process. I have had multiple conversations with him, and have determined that he does not have the time (or interest?) to read and learn any more than he needs to run his "maintenance" business. (which I believe consists mostly of vacuuming the sand, cleaning the glass, and doing occasional water changes, which is something I should be able to do myself, and save me some money at the same time.)
Therefore, my questions to you are:
1. What books/guides do you recommend I go get/read? There are so many to choose from, and if I plan to utilize the technique and methods described in your booklet, I don't want to buy something that pre-dates this technology, or that suggests methods which contradict the Live Sand/Plenum method.
2. Do I really need a protein skimmer? Mike (my fish guy) says "no". But, from what I've read, it seems a good idea. And if I do, what type, brand, etc.?
3. You describe "egg-crate" pieces in your booklet, however, I have seen these black mesh things (like the ones used in both my tanks), which don't exactly resemble your drawings. Do you know what I'm referring to? Is this a superior arrangement to your original design? If not, where do I get these "egg-crates", as I am unfamiliar with them. (sorry, if it's painfully obvious I've just never seen them.)
The bottom line is when I enter into a new hobby I like to learn as much as I can. I believe all involved in this hobby owe it to the environment, animals, etc, and to our future generations to learn as much as we can, to do a good job, so that we don't have to regularly obtain new inhabitants for our tanks simply because we are too lazy to "do it right". I am an avid diver (even though I live in Utah!) and have taken trips to Cayman, Hawaii, and soon to Aruba. I yearn to dive in Bonaire, Belize, Honduras, and Cozumel. Well, thank you very much for your time. Please, continue writing! Your booklet was in-depth, yet understandable; Direct, without being too hard to read; and your descriptions were clear. Now I need more books to I can learn what to put in, where, and such!
Any and all advice will be greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
Thomas Brickey, DMD - "Live to Floss, Floss to Live!"
ps. If you're ever in SLC, UT (perhaps for skiing some time?), please consider looking myself and my wife up. We'd love to show you our soon to be "new" tank, and buy you a drink, dinner, or cup of coffee.
Hi Thomas,
Thanks for the nice words and don't want to appear like I'm pushing my own booklets, but if you liked Live Sand Secrets, you'll really like Protein Skimming and Activated Carbon Secrets; and the newest one, Marine Algae Control Secrets. This trio of booklets will update any aquarist and give them the honest facts they need to truly have success in this hobby.
It's unfortunate some of the people who do the hands on portion of the hobby everyday don't keep abreast of the growing knowledge base. In fact, Sam Gamble and I are finding it difficult to find an aquarium publishing company for our new book, The New Wave, because as I was told to my face by one of them that any book promoting more natural methods would harm the aquarium product industry. How sad! But that's the way the big aquarium companies in this industry think! They are trying to control the major flow husbandry methods to suit their product lines!
For a wide-angle look at basic aquarium husbandry, I always recommend reading Martin Moe's "The Marine Aquarium Reference." It is a low cost, yet an easy to read book that explains the basics of aquarium keeping, including water quality and general maintenance. It was written before my involvement in plenum systems, however, is still worthwhile reading.
As for protein skimming, it is one of the most important chemical filtration processes, besides activated carbon, that can be employed. I think both you and your maintenance man should read my skimming and carbon booklet. In fact, Mike ought to read all three as it sounds like he is far behind the times! When your done reading it, any questions left unanswered just send them my way. As for the eggcrate pieces, I'm not sure what you are referring to. But if it's the entire plenum grid, they can be purchased ready-made from Coral ReefProductions, 800 S. Dixie Hwy., Suite 302, Coral Gables, FL 33146, (305) 667-9605, www.CoralReefProductions.com. Visit their website and you'll be able to see what it looks like.
Last year I was in the Caymans on a local environmental business situation and had the opportunity to visit the area just off shore where it begins to drops off to 10,000 feet deep. That submarine ride was a thrilling experience to say the least. I wish everyone, including your maintenance man though as you do!
Read up and contact me with your plans before you spend any money on equipment. We'll discuss and tweak them as needed so you start off on the right foot, so to speak. One other thing, my booklets are now available through amazon.com. If you could log on and search their title, I would be pleased if you could post a comment on their behalf.
Hope this helps,
Bob
Hi Bob,
I'm so happy to have come across your fabulous web site. Being a fellow desert dweller, it just shows that wherever you live (on the coast or in the badlands), you can still have a great marine aquarium. I have a question concerning silicates, which I was unaware until I read some of your comments in FAQ's, are detrimental to water quality.
Several years ago I converted my 75 gallon undergravel filter setup to a "pseudo-plenum" system by capping off the lift tube holes at the filter plate and removing the silica sand, replacing it with a crushed coral/aragonite based substrate. I had my fish in holding tanks while this was going on so I did the transformation as quickly as I could to get them back to the 75. The system worked very well for a fish-only set up until recently when the tank (a 25 year old Odell) started to show signs of leakage. I have now switched over to a new 90 gallon, which I started with a "true" plenum, built to the specifications you and others have suggested. The tank is now only a few weeks old and my fish once again have survived the process and seem healthy.
Here comes my question: While rinsing out the gravel from the old 75 I noticed there was more silica sand in the substrate than I had thought was left over from the system switch back when I had the undergravel filter that was capped. It looks like in my haste to get things back up I didn't get all the silica out. Maybe left a pound or two in the substrate. In light of comments at your FAQ site concerning silicates, do you think I will have long term problems because of this? Is the sand inert enough to not contribute to silicates in solution? I didn't see any problems before because of this, but I never tried to add any corals either. I just don't understand silicate chemistry enough to know if there's a problem here. I would be most interested to hear any comments you may have concerning this. By the way, in the nearly four weeks since I made the transformation I have never had a nitrite reading over 0.2 ppm or a nitrate reading over 5.0 ppm using a Multitest kit. I am seeing a reduction of the diatom algae now and hope the coralline algae from the live rock I salvaged will take over soon. I am willing to do whatever's right and hope a "reef" tank is still a possibility here.
Once again, thank you for your time and your contributions to our hobby!
Take Care,
Ray Mills - Albuquerque, NM
Hi Ray,
Thanks for your email, and have wanted to address this issue in my column because I've seen something similar asked or commented upon in the past by various authors. And where plenum mechanics were involved, they were, in my opinion, wrong when it came to their comments.
As you're now aware, any appreciable amounts of silicate in the bulk water can lead to a brown diatom alga coating the light exposed sandbed surface, aquarium side panels, and also the surfaces of its corals animals. And this nuisance alga can not only look terrible and consume a lot of effort/time to clean up, it can also block light transmission to the coated corals.
In the wild, this most common element (silica) enters the ocean from land run-off and undersea volcanoes and, as in the aquarium, is used in the structure of the diatom cell wall. And found that anything over 0.2 ppm in closed systems can cause a major diatom bloom. In fact, I've often seen suggestions the aquarium water be tested for silicate, however, in my opinion it's more prudent to test the water used for evaporation makeup and/or water changes. Therefore I've always recommended using processed water for these chores.
Keep in mind the use of silica in diatom formation occurs quite rapidly, therefore aquarium water itself may not show any significant level of silica even though diatoms have or are forming. Yet, testing the aquarium water if severe diatom-like growth exists is useful if for no other reason than to determine whether the growth is a brown diatom or possibly that of a brown dinoflagellate algae, which doesn't require silica for its growth. Phosphate removing media such as aluminum oxide compounds and/or the more efficient newer iron media should be employed.
And since a salt mix may introduce some silica, why add to that with unprocessed water! (In fact, some brands use it to make the salt feel dry and keep it free flowing.) But keep in mind not all RO/DI units, especially household units, do an A-1 processing job. Therefore, those wanting the purest water may want to get some recommendations before they purchase this type equipment. (Visit my website for reviews of said equipment.)
And then there are the aquarists that perform all those tasks and monitor its level, yet still have some diatoms forming on their sandbed surfaces, especially those receiving direct light. As for diatom growth during lighted periods on sandbed surfaces, that is quite normal where there are very active mineralization and nitrification processes occurring. It's caused by silicic acid, a bi-product of the carbonization cycle that is linked with these processes. And of course, said processes will be very active in newly established aquariums, or right after vacuuming or stirring the sand. In fact, those who stir the sand to rid the surface of diatoms so as to have a 'nice' white sand surface, are only encouraging its re-growth and will usually be rewarded within a couple of days with a reoccurrence of the problem!
This now brings me to those who have in the past accomplished very poor testing on plenum beds and either reported spurious results, or simply did not understand its processes while reporting factors for the sake of simply having something to speak of. And I must say, some notable folks have made what they 'thought' were well defined tests, but because they did not fully understand the processes involved, have simply misinterpreted the results they 'thought' they observed. One such plenum test, which used an aquarium feed supply of seawater containing a high level of silicate, showed what was called an unexplainable swing in the silicate levels in the water in the plenum space over a short period of time. Unfortunately, the main focus of the tests was to show what nutrients appeared to be accumulating in the plenum, not how its processes actually controlled and utilized those nutrients, and why said processes occurred. I felt this did the plenum process a disservice, and in fact, its presenter later acknowledged to me that he missed not tracking the most vital aspects of the process.
I mention this particular instance only because it really leads to answering your question as to whether or not some silica sand in the bed will adversely affect the aquarium by generating unwanted diatom alga. And the answer actually came about quite a few years ago (before the above situation) when some individuals badmouthed the plenum process. One of their comments was that there is no way oxygen could possibly find its way through a deep bed of sand and be found in the plenum water space at the bottom of the aquarium. They didn't name names, but just put their misguided statements into print where it spread because it 'seemed' logical. - Didn't everyone know oxygen is used up by the bacteria in the sandbed and that none exists at lower anaerobic levels in the bed! - Well, that may sound correct, and in fact is correct in common sandbeds directly on the bottom of aquaria, however, 'not those in plenum systems!' And 'years' of research had already proven this fact, however, it didn't matter to these individuals, as it seemed they were seeking attention by spouting what seemed like commonsense, yet failing to checkout the facts! In all honestly, how oxygen actually got there was a mystery to Sam Gamble and myself in those early years of our research (92 - 96). So we had to go to a heavy weight in science, a scientist who may be the most knowledgeable person on 'water' in this world, and who consults for the worlds largest companies and many arms of government, including NASA.
Several reasons surfaced, with silica being involved in one of them! What came about where silica was concerned, was that there is an inactive and active side to silica. Its active acids are Monosilicic and Polysilicic acid, which hold 6 - 8 elements of oxygen. Therefore, dissolved silica can deliver/supplement the amount of oxygen that has been recorded in plenum systems (Dr. Craig Jones, pers. com.). And, at the same time, answered the reason why silicate levels varied in the plenum discussion noted above as it was being transformed into dissolved oxygen, which was one of the items the tester failed to test.
And let me take this aspect further because my first plenum system in 1992 used a sandbed consisting of nothing but silica sand. Photos of it can be seen on my website at saltcorner.com in its Photo Gallery. This system always had zero nitrates, and there was 'never' any algae, and in fact, I could not even grow Caulerpa! But my sandbed always had a covering of diatoms, which I did not like, especially when I had visitors coming to see the tank. So, not being much different than other aquarists, I would stir the bed before they arrived and make the bed look more attractive. But the constant diatom growth on the sandbed surface was an annoying situation and I decided to vacuum up as much as possible of this silica sand and replace it with aragonite sand. Well, that finally brought the diatom situation to an end, but little did I know at that time the remaining silica sand was contributing to an enhanced oxygen content in the plenum, and helping to keep my system algae free! So, I certainly wouldn't be concerned about some silica sand remaining in your sandbed! In fact, in the next plenum system that I create, I'm going to 'add' some silica sand to the bed in the lower areas to enhance the oxygen content in the plenum and see if I can recreate that first 'absolutely' algae-free first plenum aquarium!
And in closing, keep in mind that when it comes to cleaning diatom coated surfaces such as the viewing panels, don't just wipe them clean by using a back-and-forth motion with a cleaning pad. This only distributes the diatoms/silicate back into the bulk water where its used again to produce more diatoms on the surface just cleaned. Place the cleaning pad at the bottom of the surface to be cleaned and slowly slide the pad to the water's surface. Then quickly remove the pad and rinse in some clean water. Repeat as necessary. This way, the majority of the diatoms on the viewing panels will be removed from the system water. As for the diatoms on the sand surface, siphon them out, replacing the water removed with freshly prepared seawater.
Hope this helps, and keep me posted.
Bob
Dear Bob,
I am currently considering setting up a freshwater plenum system and have recently read with interest the second edition of your book "Living Sand Secrets". In the discussion about preventing light from entering the plenum, you suggest shielding it with sand on either side. Since this sand would of neccessity be approximately 5 inches deep, I was wondering whether there would be any problems associated with the development of anaerobic zones and the accompanying bacterial flora in this region.
Secondly, for aethestic and aquascaping regions in my freshwater aquarium I would prefer to have a thinner layer of substrate at the front of the aquarium. I realise that this area of substrate would not therefore function as effectively from a biological filtration point of view. However, my major concern is whether the thin layer of substrate over this part of the plenum would have more widespread ramifications for the functioning of the plenum as a whole, and therefore for the functioning of the whole sand bed irrespective of its depth.
Any information you could give me on these two aspects of the plenum system would be gratefully appreciated.
Many thanks.
Regards,
Peter R Winship
Hi Peter,
Depth of sand relates to the oxygen gradient in the sand. We recommend a 4 inch bed of 2 - 4 mm sand because we have found that size particle when used at that depth to produce the gradient needed to maintain plenum dissolved oxygen at or slightly above that immediately above the grid. In fact, that is the purpose of the plenum, i.e., to retain some oxygen and keep most of the above sandbed in an anoxic state rather than an anaerobic one. If the sandbed were to be more shallow than recommended, the only result would be less anoxic volume, therefore slightly less efficiency for overall aquarium filtration. However, too shallow, less than a couple of inches may render the plenum area aerobic, and if so, there would be no forms of denitrification. Only mineralization and nitrification would exist and nitrate levels would slowly climb.
As for keeping the plenum area in the dark, even though light exists wherever life exists, even in areas 35,000 deep, the visible spectrum at areas where nutrients exist generates algae. It's the reason why algae in one form or another develop around the sandbed edges at the sides of the aquarium. However, those areas can easily be cleaned with a dull knife blade, however the same is not true for inside the plenum area. Also, denitrification microbes are thought to be more productive in darker areas. As for anaerobic areas at the side panels where the sandbed depth is deeper, that does not occur because the plenum grid sides are close enough to prevent it. You may also want to read Protein Skimming and Activated Carbon Secrets; and, Marine Algae Control Secrets. You'll then be totally up to date in these areas.
Hope this helps.
Bob
Dear Bob,
I write to you, hoping you can shed some light on my problem. Three months ago I had a red slime break out so I used a medication to remove it (which I have used 3 other times prior to that). I did a water change 24 hrs after introducing the medication into the tank. From there on all went down hill. Within days ALL fish had died. The rest of my clams and corals looked "not happy" - Oh, I am getting ahead of myself. I have a 75 gallon reef tank and it has a wet/dry with VHO lighting and a protein skimmer. All equipment appears to be working fine, and I also checked the electric current in the water (just in case). Ok back to the downfall. Fish dead, corals and clam not happy. I began doing 20% water changes every few days, still no luck. While I continued water changes, I waited about 2 weeks to add a damselfish back in. It died within a few hours, sinking to the bottom laboring for air and then died. Ok, so I ask every fish store owner and I even e-mailed Robert Fenner for his advice, which was to do water changes and add Chemi-pure and Poly Filters and then wait! Ok, I have now waited 3 months and the clams and corals are doing much better. Although I still cannot add fish, as they continue to die within 2 - 3 hours by sinking to the bottom. I have done everything I can think of and what others have mentioned with no luck. Do you have any ideas? The water reading tests have been normal throughout this whole mess, and its not just my testing equipment, as I have had the water tested by 3 different local stores just to be sure all were getting the same readings.
HELP! If you can. The next move is tearing down the tank and starting fresh. Which isn't something I care to do. Let me also say about 2 months back I did a 75% water change as I thought what do I have to lose! Still no luck. I have even checked all my pumps, which are working good, thinking maybe it was an oxygen problem? I am stumped!
Thank you,
Shelly Morrell - Ocala, FL
Hi Shelly,
Sorry to see this happening, and can understand your frustration. But your letter leaves me with a lot of questions. If you can, please answer them as "completely" as possible;
1) Exactly what water quality tests are you performing, and what are their exact readings. And what brand kits are being used? (Those being tested should include specific gravity, pH, ammonia, nitrite, nitrate, copper, and dissolved oxygen. If they don't then test them (especially the oxygen) and give me the results - they are all important parameters!)
2) Do you use any additives, and if so, what are they?
3) What brand anti red algae products have you used?
4) How deep is the sandbed in your aquarium? What type sand is it - what is its grain size? Do you see any dark areas in the sandbed? Do you ever vacuum/clean the sandbed?
5) Do you use processed water (RO/DI) for evaporation makeup and/or water changes?
6) Is the tank top covered or open to the air?
7) How old is the set up? How many fish did it have? What type inverts have been/are in the tank?
8) What kind of water movement occurs in the tank?
This would all help point the way.
Bob
Hi Bob,
I test with "Saltwater Master" - I have not nor does anyone around me test for Oxygen.
ph - has been 8.4
Ammonia - 0
Nitrite - 0 - .5
Nitrate -0
Copper - 0
AragaMILK (CarbiSea), Reef Iodine (Seachem), DT's Phytoplankton
UltraLife Red Slime Remover
Yes, I vacuum the sand bed weekly with my water changes. Its about 3-4 inches deep, and its live sand mixed with crushed coral and believe its been in there 4 yrs.
I use RO water.
The top is enclosed with glass and a light canopy.
Six fish, 3 damsels, 1 Yellow Tang, 1 Clownfish, 1 Basslet - I currently have a medium sized clam, which is doing wonderful, an anemone, 2 gorgonians, and 1 moon polyp.
I have a wet/dry and a protein skimmer for this 75 gallon tank.
Hope this helps you
Thanks
Shelly
Hi Shelly,
Thanks for the answers and they do help. I can understand others saying do water changes, etc., as that helps solve some baffling situations. However, where you're concerned, I see several more areas that I would like improved.
Lets first address your water tests: You forgot to include your specific gravity, which should be about 1.025 - if much lower (1.022 - 1.03), raise it and keep it at this level. As to dissolved oxygen, you're no doubt correct that few people test for it. Nevertheless, from what I've read in your letters, its one angle that should be addressed. Yet, if they were dying from lack of oxygen, they should be hovering near the surface with their mouth forming a square-like shape as they try to suck in as much water with oxygen as possible. Not sink in the water and die at the bottom. But if you find it possible and find an O2 kit, and the level is about 5 ppm, that's far too low. It should be about 6 - 7 ppm!
Furthermore, if the top of the aquarium is covered in glass and the hood, and contains no open areas to the air in the 'room,' then there is improper gas exchange at the surface of the water, which will cause the dissolved oxygen in the aquarium to fall to dangerously low amounts. If you have this condition, remove most of the glass covering and insert a couple of airstones 'under' the trickle section of your wet/dry. That will markedly increase O2 in the aquarium. And would also check the efficiency of your skimmer.
As for other water tests, I doubt your pH is really 8.4, simply because of the lack of gas exchange with a covered aquarium, and suggest checking that with another brand test kit.
A reason for the nitrite level is the fact you vacuum far too often! Once a month will suffice, as more often causes the bacteria to work overtime reestablishing themselves, which leads to the nitrite condition you now have.
The next area is the additives: If you have cyanobacteria problems, the reason for them is over feeding, feeding incorrect foodstuffs, poor water movement, incorrect lighting spectrum, and poor general maintenance. The ways to correct it (in your case) is by improving water movement and correcting what is used as foodstuffs. As good as phyto and zooplankton foodstuffs are, they can easily be overused. I recommend at least cutting back on their usage or temporally holding back their use altogether until this problem has past. Also improving water motion in the aquarium. And as for additives used to wipeout cyanobacteria, I highly recommend 'never' using a product that contains an antibiotic. Even though it will/may kill this unwanted pest, it can make the bacteria stronger and more resistant the next time around. It's really much wiser to get to the root of the problem causing this problem, then to put antibiotics into your aquarium. However, where such additives are involved, I only recommend one brand, Boyd's Chemi-Clean, because I understand its chemical makeup and how it works. It's 'not' an antibiotic, and because of its chemistry, causes the bacteria to consume itself. I've seen one simple treatment end all traces of the bacteria without harming anything in the aquarium, fish or inverts. And after resolving the cyano problem, I usually recommend putting one teaspoon of 'brown' sugar or one teaspoon of unprocessed honey in a 100 gallon tank once per month after that to end future cyano problems.
As for iodine usage, I prefer not to use it or at least in far less amounts than what most brands recommend, as today's test kits are too accurate.
Furthermore, suggest installing a couple of small powerheads to stir the water's surface. And as a 'catch-all' install another 'new' Poly-Filter somewhere in the system where water can flow through it.
Try another small fish in a week, and let me know how it goes.
Bob
Note, a week later Shelly noted that a fish was added, seemed ok for 5 hours this time, but died after 8 hours. Again sinking to the bottom.
Hi Shelly,
I've saved all your letters (about 10) and have reread them. Problems in aquaria fascinate me, and I don't give up easily!
Here's another road to go, as I'm questioning the accuracy of test kits with liquid reagents, as those reagents are often too old or mismanaged to render accurate readings, so I wonder about your initial ammonia reading in your first letter. If you had up to 0.5 ppm of nitrite (or more), it meant that there was a considerable amount of ammonia in the aquarium prior to that. And you said it was zero. If I'm correct, that came from two things, the over cleaning of the bottom sand (we already discussed that) and the use of the chemicals to kill off the cyanobacteria (we also discussed that). This can open the door to two problem areas, Toxic Tank Syndrome (TTS), or New Tank Syndrome (NTS).
By introducing this chemical, it could have caused the gram-positive bacteria (both in your sandbed and the cyano) to die-off. In turn it could have resulted in two conditions - the entire bacteria in the aquarium having to reestablish themselves (NTS), and/or created a toxin that will 'not' be pulled out by a Poly-Filter (TTS). If it's the toxin, then starting over is the only way to go. However, if things continue to improve, that's a good sign. To increase the viability of the good bacteria in the aquarium, 'PLEASE" do the following - order a package of Fritzyme #9 in the 'concentrated' form. Go on the web to search it out. Use as directed and after about four days, try another fish. Let me know what happens. It will quickly reestablish your 'good' bacteria.
If that doesn't happen, then I think you have a case of ammonia/nitrite poisoning and the toxins produced (TTS) cannot be corrected. If so, then the entire aquarium needs to be drained and disinfected with bleach, and restarted. Hope it doesn't go this road.
Bob
Hi Bob,
Again thank you so much and I will e-mail you after I try this. By the way, I should mention that I got your email address from the one of my favorite fish stores in town, and he really speaks very highly of you.
Shelly
Hello Bob,
Fortunately there was a shop near me that carried the Fritzyme #9 in the 'concentrated' form. It's now going on the 3rd week after I put that in and wanted to let you know all is good in the tank. I added some fish a week later, and they are all dong great! My polyps, clams, and anemones are also going wonderful. Again, thank you for all your advice. I have learned so much during these past few months.
Shelly
Hi Shelly,
I'm so happy to see this, and it makes me feel good way down inside me. May you have many years of success!
Bob