Are we doing this right,Or are we way off?????

[Shane and John]

Lol..yes..it is that place...we are now trying to follow some Quality advise found here...We had no problems with the fish only tanks...But now with reef keeping ..we have lots to learn...Can anyone tell me what is a good skimmer for this tank..Obviously not Prizm..(wont make that mistake again)lol..what about Aqua C Urchin?

 

[Shane and John]

What about Hang on back packs??with skimmers.....Does anyone know about the kent marine r/o units?

 

[Reeferdude]

They are only out to take your money rather giving you the proper advice on how to take care of your reef.

That's a pretty serious charge. If businesses were in the business of not taking care of their clientèle they wouldn't last very long. I've known that owner personally and professionally for over a decade and have had business dealings with him as well and although you may disagree with the advise you got, to accuse someone of being there to "take" money is irresponsible. And I'm sure that for every person you can find that thinks they got bad advice, there are more that are perfectly happy with it.

Conflicting information is everywhere. The INTERNET. Books. Video. Stores. Evolving techniques or technology also cause conflict. However, changing techniques or the occasional integration of newer information doesn't necessarily make the old information less accurate or less useful. And that's why it's incumbent upon every reefer to acquire as much knowledge from a variety of resources and apply that knowledge to the best of his/her ability.

 

[Reeferdude]

What about Hang on back packs??with skimmers.....Does anyone know about the kent marine r/o units?

If you do not have a sump then the bak paks are OK. Just OK. Every manufacturer will provide the specs on their product. I would compare the cost of the units with the manufacturer's ratings and buy the best one you can afford.

 

[Shane and John]

We try to listen to what everyone has been saying....its so hard tough..seems everyone has a different idea of the propper way to maintain a quality system...obviously a skimmer is of utmost importance...but as for substraits...lots of different ideas...we will get out the crushed coral,but then what? Sand or a bare bottom?...still want to know about sumps and Refrugiums.....and what are the Quality skimmers...we need to get a new one Soon...

 

[DonW]

We try to listen to what everyone has been saying....its so hard tough..seems everyone has a different idea of the propper way to maintain a quality system...obviously a skimmer is of utmost importance...but as for substraits...lots of different ideas...we will get out the crushed coral,but then what? Sand or a bare bottom?...still want to know about sumps and Refrugiums.....and what are the Quality skimmers...we need to get a new one Soon...

Bubble Masters seem to be the hottest item at the moment. Give Barrier reef a call, they are in the sponser list. They will fix you up with a good skimmer at a reasonable price.

Don

 

[Reeferdude]

We try to listen to what everyone has been saying....its so hard tough..seems everyone has a different idea of the propper way to maintain a quality system.

Boy, that's an understatement Huh....

The reason for this is that every system is different. Even the location of the tank in your house can have a profound impact on the way your tank operates. The ambient lighting in the room can affect it, and so on. Because every tank is different in how it operates and how it performs you get a variety of opinions. From lighting to flow, to filtration, every aspect of the hobby has variables and it's gonna take some time....Some trial and error and some mishaps before you get a real good feel for what works best for your system. I've been doing this for more than 15 years probably closer to 20 if you count the breaks in between and there's always something to learn. But you're off on the right foot...Learning.

 

[theJ]

We try to listen to what everyone has been saying....its so hard tough..seems everyone has a different idea of the propper way to maintain a quality system...

Yes, there are many ways to skin a cat

Sand or a bare bottom?...

Personally I like the look of sand, a lot better than bare bottom, plus I don't like scraping coraline off the sides of the glass, let alone the bottom too! I don't like the look of 2+year old bare bottom tanks either, the bottom is usually a mix of many layers of dead coralline and other encrusting gross looking stuff :/ I love my sand inverts too, like gobys, pistols shrimps, nassarius snails, and lots of other sand dwelling creatures. Sand also is a huge denitrification ally in the war on nitrates, way more than bare bottom or crushed coral combined.

still want to know about sumps and Refrugiums.....

Check out the equipment forum and do a search on 'sump refugium'

you will get a lot of hits!

 

[DonW]

. Sand also is a huge denitrification ally in the war on nitrates, way more than bare bottom or crushed coral combined.

Thats Deep sand bed. Shallow will not do denitrification and is just for looks.

Don

 

[Reeferdude]

obviously a skimmer is of utmost importance...but as for substraits...lots of different ideas...we will get out the crushed coral,but then what? Sand or a bare bottom?...still want to know about sumps and Refrugiums.....and what are the Quality skimmers...we need to get a new one Soon...

Skimmers are not of the utmost importance.....Having said that though I would recommend you get a good one. For clarification. With well established healthy and plentiful live rock and plenty of consistent water changes a skimmer isn't required. But for the new reefer...Ya outta get one.

For easy care and less potential future problems go with a bare bottom. Once the Coraline grows it looks pretty cool. A sump is nothing more than a secondary typically below tank area to store implements like the skimmer, heaters, electrodes and whatever other items you do not want showing in the display tank. Also serves to increase the water volume and a place to add supplements etc as opposed to directly in the display.

Refugiums are nothing more than a secondary filtration system that also increase water volume and houses macro algae like Capra. Cheeto or whatever other types of algae to help absorb excess nutrients. Also serves as an environment to propagate smaller critters like copopods and Mysis shrimp.

There are some very good tank build threads on this site and you'll see exactly what these systems are and what they do. The variations are virtually limitless. My refugium is a display refugium above the display tank. I made it that way just so you could see the macro algae and whatever else I decide to throw in there...

 

[roscoe]

Reefdude I know them for a while also since their store was in the small space in the lakewood town center. You are right it is a serious charge to them, it is just not myself I know quite a bit of people that still has a sour taste doing business with them and also know those that love them. This is just my experience with them. By the way it is by no means irresponsble of my self to say that they are there to make (take) money. You might be friends with them and know them on a personal level that is why you feel how you feel. So I'm done talking about this and lets move on. Back to the subject.

 

[theJ]

Thats Deep sand bed. Shallow will not do denitrification and is just for looks.

Don

Just like my 12g refugium!

 

[Reeferdude]

Roscoe, make and (take) are two different things. My personal friendship came after the business relationship and do not impair my ability to make clear judgments. That quite presumptuous to imply on your part. May explain a few thing though. I agree...Let's move on.....

I agree with DonW that a shallow sand bed is for aesthetic purposes primarily...

 

[Shane and John]

hey guys...Didnt mean to start trouble...thanks for the responses...well..off to get water for changes tomorrow....

 

[Reeferdude]

You didn't. These thing always clear up. Anyway, he's absolutely right about the store on Canyon. All you have to do is look at the tanks in that place. My gosh! I feel sorry for everything in there.

 

[DonW]

hey guys...Didnt mean to start trouble...thanks for the responses...well..off to get water for changes tomorrow....

No trouble at all. The facts are the fact, thats why they are called facts. Shallow sand beds will NOT perform denitrification and tiny refugiums will only remove small amount of nutrients. It all depends on the type of system your going for and what your other equipment is taking care of.

On the LFS thing, the owner and his kids are good people. They are faily new to reefkeeping and like RD seem to stick with oldskool. That does not make them crooked. Once you gain a little knowlege and learn the differences between the new and old methods they will be a good resource.

By the way is my skimmer still on his LR tank? (Mr. Skimmer)

Don

 

[theJ]

I agree with DonW that a shallow sand bed is for aesthetic purposes primarily...

I agree as well. Although my shallow sand bed hold all kinds of fish poop eating things, which all take part in eating detritus before it rots. Is that considered pre-nitrification?

1cubic inch of CC has a lot less surface area than 1 cubic inch of sand for AEROBIC (NOT ANAEROBIC) bacteria to colonize, so while not as effective as a deep sand bed, I feel it still has its purpose and proportionally more efficient than an equal amount of any CC.

If a shallow sand bed has no part in the biological filtration of established tanks, why are we told to remove only a bit at a time, so the rest of the biological filter can 'catch up'.

 

[DonW]

If a shallow sand bed has no part in the biological filtration of established tanks, why are we told to remove only a bit at a time, so the rest of the biological filter can 'catch up'.

Shallow sand bed wil perform nitrification to some degree. Since it is so shallow there is plenty of oxygen. If you have oxygen you wont have denitrification. You want to keep the bacteria in balance thus why you remove any media or substrate slowly.

Don

 

[theJ]

Shallow sand bed wil perform nitrification to some degree. Since it is so shallow there is plenty of oxygen. If you have oxygen you wont have denitrification. You want to keep the bacteria in balance thus why you remove any media or substrate slowly.

Don

ahhh anaerobic is where the denitrification occurs. Thanks Don

 

[Scooterman]

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/jan2004/chem.htm

Good writeup on Tap water!