Here is a stupid question, I have a wet/dry filter sump which has been in my 90 gal tank, and I have been reading on this forum about not using a wet/dry for reefs. I currently do not have much for coral, but would like to get more in future but I do have about 100 lbs of LR. I have been having some problem with hair algea, and am wondering if it has to do with nitrate control d/t the wet/dry. If I were to change, what would I change to?
Best filtration method
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Scooterman
Well-known member
The basic systems that you will see here is LR & good skimmers! Along with that good husbandry like doing WC's regular & with RO/DI!
You seem to be close on the amount of LR, depending on your Bio-load will determine how much you need. How much do you feed & what do you feed?
Your Wet dry probably could be converted to a sump & maybe a refugium but first I'd convert it to a basic sump, removing bio-balls sponges etc. I'd then consider a good skimmer.
Definitions of good skimmer, how much you feed & WC's & good water quality takes experience, we have lots on available information on each of these subjects. First I'd give us a through breakdown of your tank, pics if you can, the more details you provide the better help you can get, thus saving you headaches & money & loss of tank life most importantly.
BTW Welcome to RF,
You seem to be close on the amount of LR, depending on your Bio-load will determine how much you need. How much do you feed & what do you feed?
Your Wet dry probably could be converted to a sump & maybe a refugium but first I'd convert it to a basic sump, removing bio-balls sponges etc. I'd then consider a good skimmer.
Definitions of good skimmer, how much you feed & WC's & good water quality takes experience, we have lots on available information on each of these subjects. First I'd give us a through breakdown of your tank, pics if you can, the more details you provide the better help you can get, thus saving you headaches & money & loss of tank life most importantly.
BTW Welcome to RF,
Thanks, I am excited to have joined. Looks like lot's of good info, and close to home. Here's a break down of my tank:
2 yellow tail damsels
1 black clown
1 koran angelfish
1 bicolor dwarf angel
1 yellow tang
1 urchin
1 blue linkia star
crabs (many)
a few snails
I have a 10 gallon sump filter, a turboflotor skimmer, 2 koralia power heads, and I have 2 actinic and 2 white VHO lights 110 each. Sorry I don't have any pictures here, maybe I can post some when I get home.
Here's a break down of my tank:2 yellow tail damsels
1 black clown
1 koran angelfish
1 bicolor dwarf angel
1 yellow tang
1 urchin
1 blue linkia star
crabs (many)
a few snails
I have a 10 gallon sump filter, a turboflotor skimmer, 2 koralia power heads, and I have 2 actinic and 2 white VHO lights 110 each. Sorry I don't have any pictures here, maybe I can post some when I get home.
Scooterman
Well-known member
How often are you changing out your water & which salt are you using?
Might have to bump that up to help with the hair problems. The turbofloater 1000 skimmer is fairly weak for a tank your size. What is in your sump filter?
Might have to bump that up to help with the hair problems. The turbofloater 1000 skimmer is fairly weak for a tank your size. What is in your sump filter?
Curtswearing
Mantisfreak
Has your Koran shown any aggression towards your bicolor?
I was using coral life salt, and I have to admit that my changes were more like monthly than biweekly. I need to get better with that! I have recently switched back to instant ocean salt which I think was working better before.
My Koran has never been aggressive to my bicolor, he was kind of aggressive to my blue tang which I forgot to mention before which is also in the tank.
My Koran has never been aggressive to my bicolor, he was kind of aggressive to my blue tang which I forgot to mention before which is also in the tank.
busdriver
Well-known member
since you don't have very much coral yet, WCs are mostly to get ride of NO3 and such... monthly can work if you have a good filtration system and/or you do larger WCs.
that being said, it is easier on your livestock to do small-ish ones often then larger ones not as often...
not everyone Skims, but i wouldn't unplug your skimmer unless you have a different method of keeping your water clean.
more rock is always better (long as fish can swim and there is water movement through the rocks) I would go with a refugium if i were you... they are pretty simple and work well. refugium is a fancy word for refuge... a place for stuff to grow w/o something trying to eat it...
my take of algea... Since it has to grow somewhere, grow it in the refugium... If there is no one near you to snag some from, it can be sent to you... cheato is "best" but i have more than just cheato in my 'fuge... I could send you some for $5 or i think Atlantis aquatic does to for that price. put sand in the 'fuge if you can.... how much is up for debate, but most says between 2-6" I do 3-4" to be "safe" whatever you do. DO NOT MOVE LS. a few people have been able to to it, but I (now) think the risk is too great. I lost 5 fish and one urchin in one day and 1 more within a week (after i moved it) b/c i moved 4+ year old LS... if you move house or something, take a LITTLE off the top and set it aside, then remove it all and rise it with fresh water....
you might want more flow in your tank depending on the size of your pumps... you'll want 15-20 times and hour for fish and softies or 25+ x for SPS... (if i remember right)
so you have a 90 tank (i'm not counting your sump right now) 15 x 90 is 1350 GPH min...
If i remembered the #s wrong please let me know!
Also, here a some good sites not in any order:
Garf.org
reefvideos.com
reefcentral.com <-- also has reefkeeping online mag link
http://www.melevsreef.com/
and http://www.ultimatereef.net/ or reefsuk.org for a different angle on reef'n
There are loads out there, but this is the ones off the top of my head
Hope this helps
Stephen
that being said, it is easier on your livestock to do small-ish ones often then larger ones not as often...
not everyone Skims, but i wouldn't unplug your skimmer unless you have a different method of keeping your water clean.
more rock is always better (long as fish can swim and there is water movement through the rocks) I would go with a refugium if i were you... they are pretty simple and work well. refugium is a fancy word for refuge... a place for stuff to grow w/o something trying to eat it...
my take of algea... Since it has to grow somewhere, grow it in the refugium... If there is no one near you to snag some from, it can be sent to you... cheato is "best" but i have more than just cheato in my 'fuge... I could send you some for $5 or i think Atlantis aquatic does to for that price. put sand in the 'fuge if you can.... how much is up for debate, but most says between 2-6" I do 3-4" to be "safe" whatever you do. DO NOT MOVE LS. a few people have been able to to it, but I (now) think the risk is too great. I lost 5 fish and one urchin in one day and 1 more within a week (after i moved it) b/c i moved 4+ year old LS... if you move house or something, take a LITTLE off the top and set it aside, then remove it all and rise it with fresh water....
you might want more flow in your tank depending on the size of your pumps... you'll want 15-20 times and hour for fish and softies or 25+ x for SPS... (if i remember right)
so you have a 90 tank (i'm not counting your sump right now) 15 x 90 is 1350 GPH min...
If i remembered the #s wrong please let me know!
Also, here a some good sites not in any order:
Garf.org
reefvideos.com
reefcentral.com <-- also has reefkeeping online mag link
http://www.melevsreef.com/
and http://www.ultimatereef.net/ or reefsuk.org for a different angle on reef'n
There are loads out there, but this is the ones off the top of my head
Hope this helps
Stephen
Scooterman
Well-known member
Lot of fish poop to deal with in such a small tank, as they grow it will need more & more husbandry. I'd suggest keeping up with your wc's if not going bigger ones!
GA-PEACHES
Member
The live sand is what you have to be careful with.
DonW
R.I.P.
busdriver
Well-known member
When things (food, fish, shrimp, etc...) decay they make ammonia (REALLY REALLY toxic) first. then bacteria breaks into nitrite (REALLY toxic), then different bacteria break it into nitrate (toxic.) I'm tired right now, but i think plants use the nitrate.
there are a couple reasons not to move live sand. One is that there are different type of bacteria living in the different layers of sand. The different types depend on how much Oxygen (O2) they get. the de-nirtifiy'n one are on/near the bottom, b/c they don't get O2 down there. These are anaerobic bacteria. (W/O O2) if they get to where there is O2 they will die.
Also, some critters will die when they get "squished" from having too much sand on them. You know some critters will go under the sand .5" or 1". (I don't know what depth, but I know there is one) If they cross that threshold (what ever it is for the different critters) they won't be able to dig their self out...
or the ones that live in tunnels... one could easily plug their hole with 1/4" of sand on top and they wouldn't be able to get out...
I think it is mostly, b/c of the bacteria though...
Some people have had good luck moving live sand, but I didn't. If the sand isn't very "old" it would probably increase the chances that it won't nuke your tank. Also the sand in my tank was 3-3.5" deep. if one has like an inch, it probably wouldn't matter much... Just make sure your rock are one the glass and not the sand. otherwise it might all come down...
If one did need to move and wanted to try to make it work. one could have extra water and a extra tank. move everything in the extra tank (or one of the LARGE rubbermaid stock tubs) move the tank with the sand, then put water in it, try'n not to disturb the sand. then wait a day or something and test the water. one might be able to test the water the same day...
I have not tried that so, I don't know if it works, but that is what I would've done if I would've known that I might lose almost all my fish and make my huge leather sick (which slowly died and raised my NO3)the day/day after I bought them. (that doesn't make the missus happy!!!)
I hope i didn't confuse anyone, I'm tired so I might not have made a lot some scene, but hopefully enough
Stephen
there are a couple reasons not to move live sand. One is that there are different type of bacteria living in the different layers of sand. The different types depend on how much Oxygen (O2) they get. the de-nirtifiy'n one are on/near the bottom, b/c they don't get O2 down there. These are anaerobic bacteria. (W/O O2) if they get to where there is O2 they will die.
Also, some critters will die when they get "squished" from having too much sand on them. You know some critters will go under the sand .5" or 1". (I don't know what depth, but I know there is one) If they cross that threshold (what ever it is for the different critters) they won't be able to dig their self out...
or the ones that live in tunnels... one could easily plug their hole with 1/4" of sand on top and they wouldn't be able to get out...
I think it is mostly, b/c of the bacteria though...
Some people have had good luck moving live sand, but I didn't. If the sand isn't very "old" it would probably increase the chances that it won't nuke your tank. Also the sand in my tank was 3-3.5" deep. if one has like an inch, it probably wouldn't matter much... Just make sure your rock are one the glass and not the sand. otherwise it might all come down...
If one did need to move and wanted to try to make it work. one could have extra water and a extra tank. move everything in the extra tank (or one of the LARGE rubbermaid stock tubs) move the tank with the sand, then put water in it, try'n not to disturb the sand. then wait a day or something and test the water. one might be able to test the water the same day...
I have not tried that so, I don't know if it works, but that is what I would've done if I would've known that I might lose almost all my fish and make my huge leather sick (which slowly died and raised my NO3)the day/day after I bought them. (that doesn't make the missus happy!!!)
I hope i didn't confuse anyone, I'm tired so I might not have made a lot some scene, but hopefully enough
Stephen
Last edited:
DonW
R.I.P.
Close but H2S is the biggest concern when moving a dsb.
Don
Don
Scooterman
Well-known member
Personally as cheap as sand is, I buy new If I had to move it. Yea I could rinse it & clean it but I have plenty of pot holes in the yard I need to fill LOL
I wouldn't waste money on purchasing expensive Live sand, it just isn't necessary these days if you have good equipment, eventually it will get live.
I wouldn't waste money on purchasing expensive Live sand, it just isn't necessary these days if you have good equipment, eventually it will get live.
