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.
Hi Bob,
I have read your articles in FAMA for yeas, and have a new 90 gallon overflow system with custom 30 gallon sump. I'm getting 80 pounds of live sand along with having 90 pounds of live rock shipped to me. I have read 10 different ways to set up a new tank. Should I fill the tank halfway up then add the rock and lastly the sand, or should I put the rock in before water then add sand. What is the best way to do this?
Thank you very much for your time,
John
Hi John,
Thanks for your email, and that's a question I've seen several times over the past few years. My preference is to add the sand first to the empty tank, which should be level before filling. Then place a towel on the bottom sand surface and slowly pour the premixed seawater upon the towel so as to prevent having a lot of cloudiness in the aquarium water when finished filling. Fill only to ¾ full. Then place the live rock as desired, and finish filling the tank. Start all your pumps and filters except your protein skimmer, as that should not be used for the first two weeks, as that could slow the formation of the nitrifying bacteria.
Hope this helps.
Bob
Hi Bob,
I emailed you about 10 yrs ago, which was the last time I had an aquarium issue! Your response really helped, so thank you. I've now had an 8 year break from marine reef keeping. Four children later, and with them now old enough to enjoy a new tank with me, I have recently setup a new reef tank (a recent holiday and visit to the Great Barrier Reef fueled our enthusiasm).
I have had a 300 litre tank setup for 3 weeks now. At the moment it is only live rock, a thin layer of coral sand, a refugium with Ecosystem Miracle Mud, some Caulerpa macroalgae, and illuminated by a compact 40W globe, and a 14K metal halide 250W light. Water movement is excellent with a new Tunze 6010 Turbelle stream. Other than some coral on the live rock and 3 snails, there is no livestock yet, at least not until the tank settles in.
I have also recently installed a Tunze calcium reactor. I have been getting readings of 500 calcium and 120mg/ml KH, even with only 1 bubble of CO2 every four seconds and affluent rate of 1 drop every 2 seconds. Some fine-tuning is needed to get the calcium level to 450 or so.
Unfortunately I am getting constant low pH readings. I have calibrated my pH meter so it should be accurate. The pH ranges from 7.95 down to 7.8, depending on the time of day, even though the refugium is lit 24 hours a day.
Why is this reading so low, even though my alkalinity according to the new test kit, so good? Is it just because it is a new tank and the chemistry will take time to settle? The grape Caulerpa I put in the refugium is dying off a reasonable amount while it takes hold.
Do I need to do something else to raise the pH? I really would like to continue to use the calcium reactor, as much of the traces of living coral on the living rock have shown clear signs of growth.
Should I hold off on getting any livestock until I sort out this low pH issue?
Many thanks,
Marcus Crossett
Melbourne, Australia
Hi Marcus,
Wow, 10 years ago! (I must be doing something right if hobbyists remember me from one response ten years ago!) - Thanks for your update and it looks like you're off to a good beginning, as Tunze makes excellent equipment! As for the children enjoying the aquarium, I'm sure they will, and besides, I believe this hobby is extremely educational and they will learn just how important Mother Nature is and how to nourish and care for her so the world is a better place for all of us!
As for the pH situation, notice I didn't say 'problem,' as there are several aspects to take into consideration before making any changes.
Let me first begin by saying it's far better to read dKH, than KH. Keep in mind that KH (general hardness) relates to the total amount of minerals in solution, some of which have no value. So it's wiser to measure dKH Alkalinity (carbonate hardness), which is a measurement of the more 'important' buffers such as calcium and magnesium carbonates. Once you have a test kit that reads this form of alkalinity, your goal should be, if the aquarium has quite a few stony corals, about 8 - 10 dKH.
Yes, your calcium level is somewhat high at this point in time, but once the coral animals become established I would expect that level to naturally come down, with 380 - 430 ppm my preferred goal level. And since you have a quality calcium reactor, my experience has shown that if I kept its 'effluent' reading at three times the desired aquarium alkalinity level (about 25 - 35 dKH), when using one of the better calcium reactor mediums such as CaribSea ARM or the Knop product and changing that media 'at least' once per year, my aquarium calcium and alkalinity levels remained quite stable in my preferred levels, as mentioned above. Once the reactor is initially set, which does not usually take too much tweaking with good equipment; they usually stay quite stable for about six months. Then, because the good useable portion of the media is then becoming exhausted, even though there still appears to be a lot of media left in the reactor, reactors become more time consuming to maintain the desired results. And when that happens, more CO2/drip rate is required and there may become a greater disparity between proper alkalinity and calcium levels because the worthwhile portion of that media has been used up. Therefore, I always changed out my reactor media between 10 - 12 months. Believe me, this changing of the media with a 'quality' brand as mentioned above, made major differences in my systems! And I should add, do not use old coral skeleton material/crushed coral, as there are too many impurities/unusable carbonates in such products. Again, the two brands mentioned are the only ones I'll use! Furthermore, I've always purchased twin column calcium reactors, where one column was fed the CO2 and its effluent flowed through a second column filled with media allowing its low pH to become somewhat higher before dripping back into my aquarium/sump. But I've tested many reactors that have had only one column, and with those, have taken that out coming effluent and allowed it to drip through a small chamber filled with some aragonite, which was sometimes nothing more then a large syringe with its plunger removed and a piece of window screen in its bottom area, before returning to the aquarium/sump. This really helped raise that low effluent pH. So testing the reactor effluent is a requirement in properly setting them up (CO2 bubble rate and drip rate), as is a quality media and changing it far before its 'quantity' appears to be low.
Now that I've set some goals where calcium and alkalinity are involved, lets look at pH. Since this is a vital water parameter, I dislike recommending any changes until I know the hobbyist has used more than one method to test it! I've seen far different readings in letters when I asked hobbyists to try another brand test kit and/or compare their probe reading to a test kit reading. But, for the sake of moving ahead, there are factors that influence pH, and having a reactor that's using carbon dioxide is one of them, as the effluent coming from your reactor is probably quite low, e.g., in the range of 6 - 7! This can have an impact on system pH, especially in a small system such as yours. And yes, I realize your bubble rate is quite low, but so is the volume of water in your system. Other things that would affect pH would be a closed aquarium top, which would prevent good gas exchange thereby allowing dissolved CO2 acids to diminish your buffers in solution. Having a refugium with macroalgae with poor water circulation, even when oppositely lit from the aquarium, may also somewhat impact your main aquarium pH. Especially now, since your macro won't begin to flourish until that area becomes nutrient rich!
And as to pH, it is usually in the 8.0 - 8.2 range in the reef areas where much of our prized corals come from, and possibly somewhat lower in the bays and backwaters where some soft corals generally abound. So if that's good enough for Mother Nature, than that's my goal in my aquaria.
Now that I've gone this far, I should mention that I try to stay away from recommending individual liquid or powdered buffers, as they are often misused and result in precipitating calcium, which then results in that parameter needing tweaking! So, as I have done in the past, where my pH was near similar readings, I would allow my corals to be the indicator if that parameter really needed tweaking! On some systems, especially those with a single column calcium reactor and a large calcium sucking bioload, I added a small Kalkwasser stirrer, and allowed its effluent to drip through the little device I mentioned above so I would not have to add any CO2 to its effluent to reduce its 12 pH level before entering the aquarium! This helped to raise the pH coming from the calcium reactor and at the same time somewhat lower that coming from the stirrer, which further reduced any calcium reactor tweaking!
In closing, I would first recommend testing the pH with a second method/product, then test your reactor effluent and tweak to the level mentioned. Then increase the flow in the refugium 'if' necessary. Then proceed to add some bioload and recheck the pH. If still low, with low being below 8.0 during the mid portion of the aquarium's lighted timeframe, I would consider the Kalkwasser addition.
Hope this helps and keep me posted, but not ten years from now!
Bob
Hi Bob,
I bet you thought I had fallen off the face of the earth! Well almost. I've recovered nicely from an illness that caused me to shutdown Reef Renovators a few years back. Making custom-made plenum grids was part of that business and I'm again interested in starting up a small business that will include making custom-made grids. In fact, just set up my cousin with a 20-gallon African Cichlid tank (with a plenum of course). It's doing great!
Recently Petland opened locally and decided to check it out. I spotted the 30th Anniversary issue of FAMA and thought I'd just take a peek. I started reading this great magazine in 1985 about the time the Smit wet/dry series came about. I was happy to see Julian's Reef Notes was still there, and low and behold so was Sand Mail! Wow I thought, wasn't everyone using either algae or mud refugia? So I started reading and was absolutely amazed to find someone asked you about a company making plenum grids! Must admit I felt a little emotional you had to tell them it was out of business. So decided to write and ask a few questions.
First: Is there still a market for plenum systems in general, not necessarily pre-made, but are people still using them with success?
Second: I looked over your 'great' website before sending this message and noticed Julian Sprung describes the use of Enkamat nylon matrix, such as I used on my past EcoSand Plenum grids. Is that product still available to hobbyists?
Third: Do you think a small part-time enterprise to specifically supply custom-made plenum grids with or without the Enkamat would fly? My thought here is a simple website business where one could place and pay for the order, such as with PayPal. The site would include pricing, shipping data, and photos of the material and finished products.
Fourth: Would I be able to advertise on your site and would you mention that custom-made plenum grids of different styles were now again available?
Warmest regards,
Todd Schwarz
Dalton, GA
Hi Todd,
Long time! Odd how things go sometimes! And happy to see you're well again!
As for turning down people wanting custom-made plenum grids, have done that about 3 or 4 times over the past couple of years. I sent a couple of requests to your old email address, which did not go through. So that should answer your question as to demand, at least through my email. Nevertheless, the plenum is still somewhat popular, yet still misjudged as to its efficiency. And I've tried to convince people to use it in an interconnected aquarium/sump, as it's far easier to maintain if no rock or coral is on its bed surface. And I should add, many people are having greater success when done in this fashion, so the method is still popular, but there's still some resistance to it, - sad, but true!
As for the Enkamat, my thoughts are its better to have a sandbed where a dull knife blade can be run through the bed to discover clumps, which are caused by fast forming bacterium and calcium precipitation, and then crumbled with fingers. I also don't recommend the separating screen anymore in 99% of the setups because of this clumping issue. Keep in mind if the matrix blocks one's surveying capability, then bed efficiency will radically drop if the clumps cannot be broken up. As for the material itself, have no idea as to its availability.
Nevertheless, it would be nice to again have a source for custom-made grids, and would be happy to advertise that on my website at no charge and in my email when feasible. And suggest giving people the option of either a plain-Jane model or one with the matting on top, which honestly, I would not recommend in marine systems, but where African Cichlids are concerned that would be advisable!
Otherwise, nice to hear from you and am willing to help,
Bob
Hi Bob,
Thanks for responding and I'm willing to admit that I'm disappointed the matrix idea has not worked out as well as I had hoped, but it was an interesting thought, and felt it should be explored.
Love the idea of putting the plenum in a sump. It solves a lot of the logistic problems such as having it covered with rock, using 6" of main tank depth, making sure it doesn't show from the sides, not being able to examine the bed fully, etc. Didn't realize clumping was as much of an issue as it seems. I'm very interested in being a source for whatever type plenum grids are desired.
Have some further questions; in your opinion what would be the simplest and most effective design? On that thought have a few ideas and questions about how people are using them in sumps. Are sumps usually lit these days such as a refugium, or have they become a separate unit apart from the sump? If they were lit, would there still need to be a small amount of space around the plenum grid sides to allow some sand down over its edge to block light? What has been found to be the best height of the open water space under the sandbed? And how big of a sump/sand bed are we talking about for a heavily stocked 55-gallon reef tank? A 20 or 30-gal tank? This would not be enough to supply much calcium to the tank would it? Or is calcium supplementation with something like 'Aragamilk' the way to go?
It was very nice to hear from you.
Todd
Hi Todd,
When it comes to sumps, some are solely used for housing equipment and others used as refugia. In some cases, a little of both are combined. The problem as I see it, is with the goal of the system and its associated equipment not being too well planned out before the system is initiated. In my opinion, there's not a better form of 'biological' filtration then what's accomplished by the Jaubert plenum method! With that said, there's some resistance to its use because of past improper usage and/or poorly thought-out/worded articles describing the process.
Past experience with this method shows the plenum grid should be located in an interconnected tank/sump having a sandbed surface area that is about 20 - 50% that of what's in the main show tank. With that said, this 'sump' bed surface area should be as unencumbered as possible, as its this sand surface that is the area where diffusion takes place, ridding the bulk water of its nutrients. In some ways, this surface area is no different than that of an inexpensive mechanical filter pad - block its surface area and it removes far less matter. So simple logic dictates that if it were in the main tank with lots of live rock and corals upon its surface, it would perform less efficiently than if it was in an unencumbered interconnected tank!
Furthermore, an interconnected plenum system is far less expensive, far more efficient, and requires far less maintenance than do other forms of sumps/refugia that are set up for filtration purposes. With that said, and to be fair, other type refugia systems produce interesting looking environments rich in infauna and macroalgae, and if that's part of the system goal, so be it. Nevertheless, I prefer a nutrient poor method be attached to my aquaria, than a nutrient rich method. In fact, the plenum set up is usually so nutrient poor that it can't support alga growth therefore no lighting is needed. It should simply be considered 'the' biological filtration system, which reduces the amount of sand and live rock needed in the main show tank.
Don't take that as I'm against other forms of refugia filtration, but their goal is not the same as the interconnected plenum sump/tank. There needs to be a choice here: either it's a highly efficient biological filtration system or something that will be treated as an additional small aquarium with various animals and algae so as to present an interesting showpiece. And yes, opposite lighted nutrient rich refugia with macroalgae have some benefits, such as helping to stabilize the pH during nighttime hours. But would this additional 'aquarium' be needed if the system as a whole remained nutrient poor? That's a question not adequately faced/answered by some in the hobby. But, in my opinion, most systems are overstocked, overfed, and therefore require additional tools/cost and maintenance time to be kept adequately running, and a refugium is one of those additions. An interconnected plenum system is not, as its there as the 'heart' of the biological filtration processes!
As to the grid butting up against side panels, I never did like that as light would encourage alga growth near the bottom 'plenum' water filled space, as that is where some nutrients are temporarily stored until the bacteria on the sand above utilize them. (I've already explained that cycling process in the past, so if you missed it, contact me and I'll reiterate it.) In the distant past when the grid was being placed in the main show tank, this unsightly look along the tank sides was of some concern, yet simply running a 'chop stick' along the area between the side panel and the grid side cleared that up quite easy. But if the plenum is in an interconnected sump under the aquarium and enclosed in a cabinet, little or no algae would form along its sides even if the grid butted flush up against its side panels. Nevertheless, I would recommend the grid be about ¼ inch short of all sides of the aquarium.
I've probably made 200 - 300 grids of all sizes since 1991 when I made my first one! For large aquaria, I would make several sections, as most aquariums have limited access from above. Past experience has shown the best way to make them is as follows; for aquariums less than 100 gallons, I recommend ¼ inch high legs. For 100 to 1000 gallons, 1/2 inch legs. Over that, ¾ inch legs. As for the screening material, common fiberglass window screening is the best choice. The material should not only cover the top surface of the grid, but also its surrounding edges so as to prevent sand from slipping in around its outer edge. Place the top face down on the screening and then neatly fold enough screening up and over its sides, trim the excess and secure the bottom folds with some nylon thread. This makes for a nice neat looking grid having its top and sides enclosed. And if PVC tubing is used for the legs, drill some holes in them to allow for diffusion to the surrounding water.
As for calcium supplementation, even though the pH is somewhat reduced in the bed itself, it can not be counted upon to keep the bulk water calcium level where it should be, i.e., 380 - 430 ppm. Therefore, when it comes to reef tanks, I recommend a quality calcium reactor or various calcium supplements.
I should mention the success seen in freshwater aquariums with plenums over the past decade! An African Cichlid society and myself got together about four years ago to test plenum grids in a variety of their aquariums. I asked CaribSea to help with the experiments and they provided all the substrate free. It was an overwhelming success, with plenum tanks having far reduced nitrate levels than what did those with equal bioload without plenums! And even goldfish and plant tanks have had very good success! So your thought about the Enkamat product, especially where Cichlids are concerned, is a good idea!
Hope this helps and keep me posted.
Cheers.
Bob
Hi Bob,
Have just inherited a 120-gallon reef tank from a friend. I currently have freshwater, saltwater and some planted tanks, but never have tried a reef system. This tank is 48 x 24 x 24 inches containing about 75 pounds of Fiji live rock, 2" of aragonite substrate, and has a corner overflow box that leads to a wet/dry below having a drip plate that drips over about a gallon of bio balls, then passes through a chamber in the sump containing some phosphate removing media and a Poly-Filter. The rest of the sump area contains a large venturi skimmer and a mag drive 9.5 pump returning the water to the main tank. The lighting consists of 130 watts dual PC 6700/4300 and 130 watts of 10,000K PC.
I plan on doing 30% water changes a month with RO water hoping to be able to keep the phosphate and nitrate levels at a minimum. With so many supplements and products out there it can be a nightmare deciding which are truly needed to help maintain this kind of set-up. Any equipment and supplements suggestions would be truly appreciated.
Thanks for the time, and love reading your articles in FAMA.
Robert Hauck
Texas
Hi Bob,
Thanks for the nice words about my articles in FAMA, and the aquarium and equipment sound great, but if you're heading in the direction of keeping more than common/simple corals that require moderate lighting, (you now have 260 watts), then you'll need to increase its intensity, possibly doubling it. If you go that path, you may also need a chiller, as that may cause some heat problems.
And unless I know your path/goals with the tank, I can't begin to detail what's needed.
Cheers.
Bob
Bob -
Your algae page on saltcorner.com is a great help for those of use who love our reef tanks. I use it quite frequently to ID those items in my tank that I might not be sure about. I have come across some algae in my tank that is pretty aggressive and hard to keep under control. I was hoping I could get your help in identifying these two types. I have attached a photo each of the two types of algae I am unsure of. I was not able to positively ID them from the photos on your site. Hopefully given you expertise you can identify them and get back to me with a definitive answer. Also, if you know what they are and can also suggest some type of control for the algae I would be most appreciative. I anxiously await any answers you might have for me.
Cheers -
Rob Bower
Hi Rob,
I usually throw away mail that is titled 'No Subject' as there's so much junk mail, that 99% is garbage. But just happen to open yours! If you contact me again, use my new address, (bob@saltcorner.com) to contact me.
First, if you're using any additive containing iron or iodine, stop using them, as they help promote algae, especially this red form.
And from the photos, especially the first photo, its posted on my site as Asparagopsis taxiformis. Almost impossible to get rid of once it starts, but stopping the use of trace elements will slow its growth. Nothing I know of will eat it, so you need to mechanically keep its growth a low as possible, or it will slowly overtake everything in the aquarium.
The second photo is not too clear, but maybe it's the same thing.
Cheers.
Bob
Hi Bob,
I wrote you about six weeks ago telling you about a 120 gallon reef I inherited, which at that time was not doing too well. Now, everything is going surprisingly well, as the leather and colt coral have bounced back nicely. In fact, the leather totally looks like an anemone with all its polyps extended and the colt seems to have grown 2". I've added some green star polyps, hairy mushrooms, pulsating Xenia and a yellow finger leather, and all are doing great. When I inherited the tank, the rock had a great deal of hair algae covering it, which is now almost gone but still hanging in there somewhat. I'm starting to see some red slime algae developing on the live rock and wondering what might be causing it.
The pH is 8.3, phosphate 0.1, nitrate 20 ppm, calcium 480 (too high?) and have not yet tested for iodine. I add 2 teaspoons of PurpleUp daily, 1/4 tsp of iodine daily, feed DT Phytoplankton every other day and add strontium and molybdenum every 4th day. The Coralline algae are really beginning to take off, but I'm wondering if the iodine or phytoplankton could be causing the red algae? I've also been doing 25-gallon water changes bi-weekly using RO water and have added another 130 watts of compacts like you suggested. That gives me 390 watts of PC's and the water temperature is holding at 82 degrees constant (too hot?). The filter is as explained in my last letter. Would I benefit from adding some ChemiPure to my system?
Thanks again for any help you can give me, and hope I'm not a bother, as my family and I are really enjoying the tank.
Rob
Hi Rob
Glad things are looking good, and as for your questions, they are very good, and delighted you contacted me again as you're doing some things that, in my opinion, should be corrected.
As for the use molybdenum, its fine if the system goal is one that incorporates a heavy amount of macroalgae, as that is an algae enhancer! Therefore, I don't recommend its use in most reef aquariums. You can also do without iodine additions, or at least greatly limit its use. In fact, I've found its easy to encourage red unwanted 'alga' with iodine additions, and besides, aquarist test kits are not as accurate as I would like them. If you decide to use it, reduce to 1/4 the recommended dose on the label and divide that into three applications per week. As for strontium, if you perform good waters changes and keep your calcium level within the recommended level, e.g., 380 - 430 ppm, it's also not a necessary additive. The PurpleUp product, which I use in my systems, is very good, but monitor your specific gravity, as it tends to raise it. You mention the calcium level, but not the alkalinity level, and since the two are tied to each other, I would at least for now, leave the calcium level somewhat high.
As for the red algae, (Cyanobacteria), your somewhat high nitrate and high phosphate level are to blame, along with possibly too much iodine. As for phosphate, it should be no higher than 0.015 ppm. Yours is far too high! Using a phosphate media in a bag where water flows over and around it, such as in a wet/dry, is not only not cost effective, but does not give the product the opportunity it needs to be effective. I prefer it be used in a canister filter where water is forced thoroughly through it. I've recently tested a new one from Warner Marine and its particles, besides being quite large, is the 'iron' type media, which is thought to be far better/more effective than aluminum oxide type medias. I recommend giving it a try, and if possible, in a canister filter. And suggest using the Salifert test kit to read its level, and replace media when you see any kind of reading.
Where nitrate is concerned, keep in mind a wet/dry is a nitrate producer, as its final product is 'nitrate.' You might want to consider a product called 'Nitrex,' which I've used in some past aquariums where nitrate levels were higher than I would like. It's a plastic chip-like medium and can be utilized in a nylon bag or what is also sold separately as the Nitrex 'Box.' It can be placed in the sump where it oxidizes nitrate back to elemental nitrogen gas. One box of the product will handle a 60-gallon aquarium. So you would need two boxes of the product, which should last three months and bring the nitrate level down considerably. I would also immediately consider far reducing or halting the use of any phytoplankton products until we get the water quality where it needs to be, e.g., nitrate below 10 ppm and phosphate far lower that what it is now. Once there, then carefully resume targeted phytoplankton or zooplankton feeding, as they can be quite helpful.
And yes, Chemi-pure is an excellent product, and suggest finding a place in the system to place a bag of this product, such as the sump or a canister filter, and change it every two months.
And once these 'tweaks' are instituted, I would expect the red algae to diminish, and when it does, use one teaspoon of 'brown' sugar or unprocessed honey per 100 gallons once a month after that. Just put it right in the tank sump or where water flows fairly good. That should take care of on-going red algae problems unless you're overfeeding, and if so, we need to discuss that in another letter.
Hope this helps.
Bob
Hi Bob,
It's been about six months from the last e-mail I sent you on high nitrates and phosphates, and just thought I'd let you know that everything is going great. I increased the water changes to 50% a month as well as stopping the use of the phytoplankton. What a difference. I never needed to purchase the Nitrex, and I'm currently testing weekly with the Salifert test kits for nitrate and phosphates, which aren't even showing up on the charts. I'm still using the phosphate product from Warner Marine with great results. I've lost only a few turbo snails. The animals now consist of quite a few mushrooms, and the toadstool leather and the yellow finger leather has gotten huge, and the colt coral is growing out of the tank, and my favorite, a Frogspawn coral that I purchased four months ago, is doing great. No more red algae either, the brown sugar trick was great.
So with everything going so well, I thought maybe I could ask you for a few more animal selections. I would like to try something along the lines of a sea apple or some nudibranchs, however I do have a couple of powerheads circulating the water. My fish consist of a Flame Hawk, Cardinalfish, Royal Gramma, and a Purple Tang.
Thanks for everything as the family and I are loving the tank.
Rob
Hi Rob,
Happy to see that the tank is doing well and you're all happy with it! As for nudibranchs, they have caught the interest of some marine hobbyists because of their exquisite colors, which actually serve as a warning to predators. Mostly small, these snails without a shell are all carnivorous. In the aquarium their natural food source is mostly in short supply, limiting their life span considerably. In fact, lifespan of most nudibranchs is less than one year from time of hatching. Fish won't eat them as they have a strong acid gland that makes them taste terrible. Since they are basically predatory animals, they often find anemones, gorgonian, hydroids, tunicates and sponges a delicacy. And since its almost impossible to judge their nutritional needs, they often perish in aquaria and this poses a serious health risk to the other inhabitants in the same system. Since most are toxic and short lived in captivity, it simply does not make sense in my opinion, unless you're fully aware of the specimen's needs, to house it in your aquarium.
As for Sea Apples, I've had many, and they are interesting, besides being a beautiful creature. Its head area has a ring of feathery tentacles, which it uses for collecting 'phytoplankton,' and when they find a spot to their liking, may remain there for years. Keep in mind it spends most of its time on rocks or side aquarium panels and is not a sand stirrer. If it grows smaller, it's starving and may die. Since they are capable of releasing toxic mucus when stressed by lack of food, tankmates, poor or excess current, etc, it's very possible it may kill your fish, although probably not other invertebrates. Therefore, it's wise to remove specimens that are becoming smaller or stressed. And it does need daily feedings of preserved and/or live phytoplankton products to keep it healthy.
So give these two creatures some more thought before purchasing them.
Hope this helps.
Bob
Dear Bob,
Thank you for taking the time to read this. I am writing to you from the Netherlands. I have been making the plenum sand filter all completely out of eggcrate with a void space of 1/2 inch, 1 inch & 1-1/2 inch base on what my customer want. (I hope this is all right?) Lately I have been asked to make them with a 2 inch void space. My question is it ok to make it for them at this size?
The other question is in regards to your books. I would like to offer all of your books as part of an aquarium package that I plan on offering in about 3 to 4 months time. How do I go about purchasing them at a reseller price?
Kind Regards,
Tim F Brassil III
Torenmolen #20
1035 AV Amsterdam
Dear Tim,
Thanks for your letter and as for the depth of the void space, I've probably made 200 - 300 grids of all sizes since 1991 when I made my first one! Past experience has shown the best void space is as follows; for aquariums less than 100 gallons, I recommend ¼ inch high legs. For 100 to 1000 gallons, 1/2 inch legs. Over that, ¾ inch legs. Larger than that is simply a waste of interior height space.
Actually, when one fully understands the involved Jaubert processes, the depth of the void space is of far less importance when it comes to the correct sand grain size and its depth/on-going proper maintenance.
FYI, custom-made grids are again available as the company that use to make them about 6 years ago is again in business, as the owners health is again much better. His name, if interested, is Todd Schwarz, and he can be reached at, tdmosch@gmail.com.
As for my booklets, I will forward part of your letter to the company that distributes them, and they will contact you.
Hope this helps.
Bob
Hi Bob,
I'm re-setting up my 180-gallon reef tank and have read much of the information on your web site. I'm thinking of using the plenum system you describe in your 180-gallon tank. Would it be possible to obtain from you a list of the equipment you have underneath that tank? It's kind of hard to see what it is and how to set it up. Thanks in advance.
Cheers,
Ulus Atasoy
Dept of Surgery
University of Missouri-Columbia
Dear Ulus
That's a 60-gallon under the aquarium on the left side. The plenum was located in that tank with the return pump sitting on an elevated eggcrate platform in one corner of that tank. On top of this little tank, there was an eggcrate shelf that held my Red Sea Ozonizer, and as you can see on the back of the tank center support, there were two PinPoint monitors, pH was 8.3 and ORP was 456. The outlets on the rear 'house' wall are duel sided; left side was powered by solar and wind energy; right side by the local electric company. This little plenum tank, unlighted, was a perfect place to raise different sponges. On the right side of this little tank was a small custom-made calcium reactor that sat in an aluminum-baking pan because its small pump was said to sometimes leak when it aged. In front of that unit was a Fluval canister filter where my activated carbon (ESV brand) and ROWAphos was kept. To the far right sat a Plexiglas chamber to hold RO/DI water to replenish evaporation, also made to size to fit the area by the person who made the calcium reactor (a long time personal friend). There was a little powerhead in this chamber connected to a Tunze level controller in the plenum tank. I would bring the freshwater in a 5-gallon pail and pump it with a submerged powerhead to the chamber to refill it when needed.
Hope this helps.
Bob
Dear Mr. Goemans:
For approximately eight months now in my reef tank I have rapidly growing forms of stringy globs of bubble filled goo on my live rock. It started shortly after a die-off of Derbesia. I thought it might be cyanobacteria, but after augmenting the aquarium with Boyd's Chemi-Clean, then trying UltraLife Red Slime Remover, neither product helped. I'm not sure what information you need to help diagnose this problem, so I'll give you what I can.
Aquarium: 75 gallon with 65 gallons bulk water. I have approximately two inches of CaribSea Seaflor Aragonite Reef Substrate and perform a two gallon water change weekly. There's a Berlin style sump with its sponge cleaned every 7 days. Also in the sump are three 300 micron media bags each containing 125 ml of Seachem SeaGel, and I alternate out the oldest media bag every 30 days. There's also one 150g media bag of TLF Phosban in a high flow area. There is a Marine Technical Concepts 4500S protein skimmer supplemented with an Aquarium Systems Sea Cyclone 150. According to your second booklet, Protein Skimming and Activated Carbon Secrets, the 4500S is operating just fine. The CPR over-flow is cleaned every seven days. Aquarium turnover rate is about ten times per hour, with a SCWD and two small powerheads making a mix between surge and turbulence water flow. There's approximately 100 pounds of live rock aquascaped in an island type formation with very open archways/overhangs and many places for the fish to swim through and hide if need be.
Lighting: There's a combination of HQI & powercompacts. The light fixture metal halide ballasts have been replaced with IceCap's 150 watt electronic ballast which powers two 14000K DE HQI lamps on for eight hours, with the two dual 420nm/460nm actinic lamps starting out the lighting cycle by being on for two hours before the MH's come, then five minutes later they go out, yet come back on five minutes before the MH's go out, then stay on for another two hours. But have now reduced it to only four hours of HM lighting.
Tank inhabitants: 3 Calcinus laevimanus crabs; 6 Astraea tectum, 1 Stomatella varia, 2 Turbo fluctuosa, 12 Ceriths (thank you for answering previous email regarding ceriths laying eggs), and 1 Astraea phoebia snails. As for fish, 1 Zebrasoma flavescens; 5 Chromis viridis; and 2 A. ocellaris. As for corals, 1 Montipora digitata; 1 Seriatopora hystrix; 1 Sinularia polydactyla; 1 Trachyphyllia geoffroyi, and possibly a dozen and a half blue and red mushrooms, 1 Cladiella sp., 1 Sarcophyton glaucum, 1 Heliopora coerulea, 1 Green Hairy Mushroom rock (Rhodactis indosinensis), and 1 Caulastrea furcata.
Water Quality: Water Temperature 76.6 to 77.8, S.G. 1.024, NH3 - 0: pH (Pinpoint Monitor): 8.15, NO2 - 0: Ca: 390 mg/L, NO3 - 0: Mg: 1150 to 1225 mg/L, PO4: less than 0.1 mg/L, Alkalinity: fairly stable at 3.5 meq/L, SiO2: less than 0.2, Iodide: 0.06 or 0.08, but color chart is hard to compare, Sr: between 6 and 8 mg/L. That's all I test.
Additives: Seachem Reef Advantage Magnesium, TLF Kalkwasser, Seachem Reef Advantage Calcium, Seachem Reef Builder, and Seachem Reef Iodide.
I have done everything shy of scrubbing the rock with white vinegar, and in fact I had a UV going for a few months but I noticed a dieback of copepods. I think, but am not 100% sure on this one, but after reading your booklet, going on saltcorner.com and numerous other general searches I believe this snot on my rocks is Prorocentrum sp.
Michael James
Tampa, FL
Dear Michael,
First, let me thank you for an excellent letter, where two things standout! Your description of the "stringy globs of bubble filled goo," which are probably brown, and is no doubt a bad case of dinoflagellates alga that cause these gelatinous masses. It is usually introduced on a new piece of live rock or coral animal and can easily become problematic if the bulk water is rich in organic material, and I would think the condition after the hair algae died off, and the fact your bulk water is currently too high in phosphate, are the causes.
This is a free-swimming alga and is sometimes difficult to cure. A small microscope would help identify this alga; if the alga cell has a flagellum, i.e., a tail (for propelling itself through water), it is a dinoflagellate. If it does not have a tail, it's a diatom alga. Nevertheless, I don't think it a diatom since you use DI water, therefore your silica level, which encourages diatoms, is probably well under control. This leaves the dinoflagellates as the cause. Silicate is not one of its needs as is the case with diatoms. Unfortunately calcium carbonate is. Since we cannot rid the aquarium of its calcium carbonate content, its necessary to siphon as much of this pest alga and as often as possible to keep it minimized as much as possible. This alga can also be reduced/eliminated with the use of ozone or a UV sterilizer. Also helpful is flowing all aquarium water through a sponge filter, which should be cleaned twice a week. And yes, it may be a Prorocentrum species, such as P. arenarium. Yet even though a photosynthetic species, cutting back your light may only be a temporary help, and possibly impact some of your corals. I would go the road suggested above first before shorting your photoperiod.
Additionally, your phosphate is too high and a major contributor to this alga. It should be no higher than 0.015. Putting any PO4 remover in a bag and simply placing it where some water flows around it, does not suffice, even if it's in what you call a 'high flow' area. It needs to be in a canister filter or a phosphate reactor to do its job adequately, as water 'needs' to be forced 'through' it! Either add a reactor, or do what I do as follows;
I use a small Fluval canister filter, which has three internal baskets. I first filled the lower basket with activated carbon (I use either ESV or Boyd Chemi-Pure) in a sack of course, and I also cut up a Poly-Filter into small pieces (More areas of absorption that way). That fills the first basket. In the middle basket I place a layer of filter fluff and spread five tablespoons of ROWAphos or Warner Marine over the filter fluff. Then cover the media with another shallow layer of filter fluff. I do the same in the top basket and change the media when there is the first sign of any phosphate reading on my Salifert test kit.
I hope this helps, and keep me posted,
Bob
Hi Bob
I am in the process of setting up a new reef aquarium. I live overseas so please bear with me, as my resources are very little. For 5 years I have had a freshwater 75 gallon tank. Then I went snorkeling at the Red Sea and guess what, I got hooked. I decided on making a reef tank with live sand, live rocks and soft corals and maybe a few fish for my son. I have been all over the net Googling away to get all the info possible about reef tanks. All fish stores here have good info on freshwater fish and saltwater fish but nothing about reefs. So here is what I did after doing all the reading on the net.
Bought a 20 gallon tank w/stand (for quarantine and hospital) with its own hood and one 40 watt fluorescent light, colored the sides, bottom and back black, and kept the old freshwater internal filter from my 75 gallon tank, which had 3 compartments of sponge. Left the top sponge in and bought some macaroni-like filter media and put it in the middle compartment and in the bottom compartment put some kind of rock filter media all imported by Sera Company. Also bought a heater, thermometer, another small internal filter with carbon compartment (that is the only carbon filter available here) and a powerhead and some PVC pipes, and it will be ready to go as soon as the skimmer gets in.
As for the 75 gallon tank, I cleaned it well and added a 300 watt heater, 4 powerheads, and a large internal filter just like the one I bought for my 20 gallon tank that has a carbon compartment in it. I also bought two 40 watt fluorescent actinic and two 40 watt regular marine fluorescent lights. I ordered two T5 80 watt fluorescent lights (one actinic and one regular) and an internal skimmer for the tank. So I am waiting for those to arrive along with the skimmer for the smaller tank. I am planning a 3"- 4" sand bed and am in the process of collecting 2" from the Red Sea (dead sand) and when the skimmer comes in I will be diving for the LR and LS.
Please note that I have no way of getting aragonite rocks or sand or any GARF products. I have all test kits and supplements, also imported from Sera. I can only buy what is available here.
Now let me give you this step by step and please correct me if I am wrong:
The dead sand is in the tank now. As soon as the remaining equipment comes in I will fill tank with RO/DI water after mixing the salt in it. I will turn on all the equipment and wait till everything measures right (temp, alkalinity, specific gravity, etc.) then I wait another 24 hrs. to make sure and then go dive for the LR and LS.
I transport LS wet but not underwater and LR wrapped in wet newspaper from the seawater. I live an 8 hour drive from the Red Sea. As for the LS, I am scared of the worms in it! I read so much bad stuff about worms. I will also get snails to turn over the LS. Then I will dump it in slowly in the tank on top of dead sand. Then I will pre-clean the LR and aquascape it in the tank to begin the curing process.
Question: Do I put PVC pipe supports to lift it off the sand or is it ok to just put it directly on the sand?
As soon as all is cured then I am ready to go dive for corals and inverts. I know about propagation of corals but there is no superglue in this country that sticks underwater so I'll have to find another way to attach the corals. Anyway, last but not least is the fish, and will also get back to you for that.
Please be patient with me as I am new in this but I am a fast learner.
Thanks for your help
Yassmin Rifai
Cairo, Egypt
Dear Yassmin,
Thanks for your letter, and getting 'hooked' after diving in the Red Sea is understandable! And you're to be complimented for the amount of research accomplished, as some people simply 'dive' head first into the hobby after seeing beautiful reef aquariums and are often disappointed somewhere down the line when their 'slice of the ocean' becomes too difficult to care for. Furthermore, planning on using a quarantine tank is another 'plus' in your plans, as many today do not go this road and use the 'dump and prey' method when adding new fish.
So let me say I'm very happy to help, especially those like you that want to go though a carefully designed path so that they windup with a properly conditioned system that is capable of providing a quality home to their soon to have animals.
Lets first address the quarantine tank, and a 20-gallon will do fine. It should be thought of as a quarantine tank first, and possibly a hospital tank second, and therefore set up with no sandbed. Should the fish in quarantine become sick, the most common treatments would utilize a copper-based medication, which would precipitate out of solution quite heavily upon calcareous substrate, making it more labor intensive to maintain the correct treatment level. Therefore, a bare bottom tank is the way to go. If the fish to be quarantined require 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. Nevertheless, having sufficient artificial décor to lower the animals' stress, e.g. an assortment of different size diameter PVC pipes/fittings, non-calcareous rock, and artificial coral to hide in, is quite helpful, as is the painting of the outside panels, which you have already accomplished. Your internal and external filters appear to be adequate, and if possible one or the other should be started in a healthy marine tank, possibly at a local aquarium shop a week before you intend to set up your tanks. That way, the filter will have a head start on the biological processes.
And should there ever be a parasite (Marine Ich) problem in the quarantine tank, I would consider using a diatom (DE - diatomaceous earth) filter, as it is very effective at removing free-swimming parasites. However, because they are so good at filtering out tiny matter, they do require servicing quite often. Also some cleaner shrimp, as both the DE and shrimp could easily overcome a minor ich problem without resorting to medications. Adding some of the higher species of algae, e.g., Caulerpa or Chaetomorpha is helpful in maintaining low levels of nitrogen-based waste products and at the same time providing a more natural looking environment. And if added, some low level lighting would be required, however, if no alga is added, then 'no' lighting should be used over the quarantine tank. The quality of the water in the quarantine tank should be equal to that in the show aquarium, i.e., same pH, temperature and no ammonia and nitrite. I would recommend testing the salinity of the natural Red Sea water, as its usually higher than that found in other areas around the globe. As for a small skimmer, that's also a good addition.
As for your 75-gallon system, I would recommend staying with a shallow sandbed of no more than 2 inches (5 cm). Microbial-wise, this is a more nitrogen efficient bed than what is found in deeper beds. As for equipment, it appears what you now have/is on order will do nicely for low to medium light corals. If you were to add more light, I would be concerned about water temperature, however, Red Sea water temperatures are often higher than what most reef aquarists prefer, that is to say, about 78 - 80ºF (26ºC), as Red Sea temps can be in the middle 80's (29ºC). I would highly recommend considering purchasing a high quality protein skimmer for this aquarium. Otherwise, equipment should suffice.
I see no need for special aragonite products, or other products from the US, as the live sand and rocks available at your location should suffice nicely, and Sera products are of excellent quality.
As for your thoughts on startup, again, would limit bed depth to about 2 inches. Use all live sand if possible, if not, simply mix some of it with the sand already in the tank. As for worms in the collected rock, I really don't think that will be a problem in the future unless the tank is overfed, which could cause some of them to possibly become larger and a threat to some of your other animals. Will cross that bridge in the future if necessary. Actually, small ones, i.e., a few inches, are good scavengers! Your thoughts on the transportation of the sand and rock are correct (hopefully legal where your live). The collected rock should be cleaned of any growths that are not sustainable right at the collection site, then transported as mentioned.
Rock placement on the bed is a very good question, as most of the bed surface should be open for monthly vacuuming. In fact, the sandbed surface is basically no different than that of a filter pad, as when it's clogged, water will not flow through it. I would recommend building narrow rock 'Islands' in the aquarium directly on the sand and possibly connecting them with elongated pieces of rock on their top areas. This would leave the majority of the bed surface open for maintenance. If possible, than coral fragments can be placed on these interconnecting shelf-like pieces and be nearer the better light sources. Try to keep about 75% of the bed surface unencumbered.
Once the main aquarium is up and running, would wait at least a week before adding any livestock, and go slowly with those additions.
Hopefully, you find the above helpful and wish you the best. Keep me posted.
Cheers
Bob
Hi Bob
Thanks so much for your advice. Here is an update and a few more questions (if I may). I bought the Sera WT 450 internal protein skimmer for the 75 gallon tank. Is this strong enough? (That's all they can get here). Should I first wash my dead sand with fresh water before filling the tank with filtered water (as I see it, the sand looks very clean to me)? Also should I mix the salt in the tank or should I mix it outside in a plastic container then pour it in the tank? How long should I wait after mixing the salt and getting the tank ready (temp, salinity, etc.) before putting LS and LR into the tank?
I will first get all settled then go dive for LS and LR I will do what you told me and add about 5 kilos of LS to my dead sand and hopefully seed it well. Should I sieve the LS before putting it in the tank? Should I mix it in with the dead sand inside the tank (i.e., underwater) or just sprinkle it on top of the dead sand?
As for the LR it will be difficult to clean at the site (sun is unbearable). I will just take it home and work on it there. I will put it in higher salinity water for about one minute and hopefully the creepy crawly things will get out. But where will I keep these worms etc., till the tank is cycled? Or do I just drop them in the tank with the rocks and sand?
Do you know that this setup is scaring the living daylight out of me because I hate killing plants even? I cry when one of my plants die. Imagine if anything in my tank dies too. I'm going to be sending you pictures as I go along. I would really love your feedback.
I am so happy you are helping me with this (if you only knew how MUCH)
Thanks again!!
Yassmin Rifai
Dear Yassmin,
Thanks for the follow-up, and good questions.
As for your skimmer, I have no information, nor did my web searches turn up any information on that brand, so I'm at a loss to comment on its adequacy, except to say that any skimmer is better than no skimmer!
And there are several ways to go when it comes to getting the tank started. The empty tank could be used to mix a batch of seawater; if so, would fill it ¾ full and add the amount of salt needed to bring it up close to the natural 'salinity' (correct term when tested in the wild) where your animals will come from. At least one to two days of mixing/adjusting 'specific gravity (SG)' (correct term when tested in the aquarium) is required before anything else is added. Then, 'pre-washed' dead sand (with freshwater) or preferably live sand can be added. Bear in mind that 'live' sand will remain so for months, though go dormant, if kept slightly damp and within a reasonable temperature. So live sand could be brought back and stored for a long time before being placed in the aquarium if properly cared for!
If possible, use only live sand in the tank instead of dead sand. The sand, of course could be added first if so desired, live or dead sand, and then the pre-mixed seawater added. If that's the way it goes, place a towel on the bottom sand surface and slowly pour the premixed seawater upon the towel so as to prevent having a lot of cloudiness in the aquarium water when finished filling. If the sand is added to a filled aquarium, place the sand in a plastic bag, close it, then lower the bag into the aquarium and split-open the bag on the bottom and spread the sand as needed. Of course, remove the empty bag. Start all your pumps and filters except your protein skimmer, as that should not be used for the first two weeks, as that could slow the formation of the nitrifying bacteria. A day or two later, when temperature and SG are under control, add the live rock.
As for sieving the live sand, I would doubt very much if that would be required. I presume the collection area is pristine, and not overly filled with unwanted trash or worms/infauna. If both dead and live sand is used, gently stir/mix both together on the bottom.
When it comes to some creepy crawly things in the rock, most should be considered good infauna and be maintained as part of the aquarium environment. And placing the rock into a vat of higher SG water will not cause these creatures to exit the rock. There is one way, however, and I hesitate to mention it, as you're quite new to the hobby. But if the new rocks are placed in a vat of only 'club soda,' (nothing but water and CO2) the creepy crawlers will 'quickly' jump out as they cannot handle the CO2 level of that water and will try to immediately find an area where they can again breathe. Once they do that, probably in a few minutes, remove the rock and flush it clean in another vat of seawater, and then place it in your aquarium. Most of its bacteria will still be OK. Once the creepy crawlies are removed from the rock, gather them up and place them in a small container, if feasible, and take them back to the Red Sea and release them, as I know you're highly sensitive about destroying any kind of life.
Let me close by saying I consider all 'aquarists' brothers and sisters. And even though there are differing opinions and thoughts about various subjects, we have the same goals; to better understand the creatures we share this world with. And with now 61 years in this hobby, I find it one of the most educational and satisfying hobbies in the world!
It's a pleasure helping you.
Cheers
Bob