Good husbandry for SPS tanks.

[Haole]

I agree with reedman. Maybe you could try just using the filter socks on the days you clean the glass and flush out your rockwork. This way your skimmer will have a better chance at removing more, rather than things being trapped in the filter socks and breaking down with your system’s water constantly flowing through it and being re-subjected to it. Also, maybe cut back on the amount that you’re feeding?
Just trying to give some possible ideas here.....

Btw.... Another excellent thread here, Brad! Lot’s of great info that not only pertains to keeping sps.

 

[bradreef]

Reed I was thinking that about the filter socks also but he does clean them twice a week. add a big fuge. If the montipora's are growing nicely try a couple of stags. Bottlebrush or tightly branched coral put in the path of the stream.

 

[NaH2O]

old saint - How big are the clams? I would discontinue using phyto unless the clams are small (under 3"), provided adequate lighting for larger clams. If they are small, then I would recommend removing them from the tank to feed in a separate container. Have you tested your mix water prior to water changes for PO4 and nitrates?

 

[reedman]

How dirty are the socks when you change them? Are they impeding water flow?

Is the fuge releasing anything back into the tank? Are you feeding any of the algaes from the fuge back to your fish (ie reintroducing those nutrients that were once bound up in the algae)?

How old is the rock? Do you have detritus settling on the rocks?

Is the skimmer producing skimmate? How much? Is it thin and light or thick and dark?

 

[oldsaint]

Thanks everyone for all the feedback.

The filter socks could be contributing to your NO3.

I was thinking the same thing so I started changing them 3 times a week Sun,Wed,Fri instead of twice a week.

Bottlebrush or tightly branched coral put in the path of the stream.

I'll try some of those. btw brad I didn't mean to turn this thread into helping me with a trate problem.

How big are the clams?

2 are right at 3" and 2 are just below 3"

Have you tested your mix water prior to water changes for PO4 and nitrates?

No I will do that. I'm using IO.

How dirty are the socks when you change them?

With changing them 3 times a week they're not that bad, a lite brown or tan color.
Don't have a fug yet.

How old is the rock? Do you have detritus settling on the rocks?

The tank was done cycling about 10 months ago. Don't notice any detritus on the rocks but when I blow them off there is stuff that is kicked up.

Is the skimmer producing skimmate? How much? Is it thin and light or thick and dark?

This is about 5 days worth. Yes it's time to empty it.

 

[64Ivy]

oldsaint: Sounds like a lot of LR. Is it packed in or is the structure more open? If it's packed, just blowing of the detritus off once a week won't help much. You've got to either REALLY get in between the rocks all the way to the bottom or (last resort) remove a few and lessen the number of dead pockets. Other than that, I'd test my RO/DI water once a week to make sure the unit is keeping the TDS in check.

 

[bradreef]

saint that is why this thread is here. To help people figure out how to improve there SPS tanks and you are getting advice from some of the best in the world(kevin, Mike, and Mike(64ivy)) All of those guys have had SPS tanks of the month so they know what they are doing. Now where is chuck? This is going to turn into a great thread.

 

[oldsaint]

Cool Brad

Is it packed in or is the structure more open?

I would say it's a pretty open structure. I don't want to clutter this thread up with pics so Here's a thread with some recent pics.

I'd test my RO/DI water once a week to make sure the unit is keeping the TDS in check.

I did let that happen. It got up to 50 ppm. Now I check it regularly.

I am concerned with one thing I'm doing.

Also I was syphoning/vacuuming the sand during the water change. Not sure if I should continue to do that.

If trates break down to nitrogen gas in low or no oxygen areas Am I not interfering with that process by introducing oxygen to those areas while I'm vacuuming. I know this also takes place within the rock but the sand contributes to that process. I know most here like BB tanks but I like the look of a sand bed. I'm getting conflicting stories on how to take care of it. I've read Mr. shimek, Borneman and Mankins articles most of which say leave it alone, but I'm also getting advice to vacuum.

 

[Haole]

I’m with you, oldsaint. I also like the look of a sand bed too. And your tank looks fantastic regardless of your trate and minimal cyano problem!
I don’t want to come off sounding like I’m insulting your intelligence, since you’ve mentioned doing all the previous research, but I’m just trying to help cover all the bases here...
Are you only vacuuming the top ¼ inch surface within a limited amount of area of your sand bed at any one time? Any deeper or too much of an area, could possibly disturb the lower areas where denitrification occurs.
Do you see bubbles rising out of your sand bed at any time?
Is your sand bed teaming with worms, and do have any cerith snails to help keep your sand bed stirred up?
Do you periodically reseed your sand bed with a fresh source of live sand?
Maybe certain areas within your tank are just not mature enough yet...

 

[oldsaint]

I don’t want to come off sounding like I’m insulting your intelligence, since you’ve mentioned doing all the previous research

Please don't worry about that I checked my ego the moment I registered on my first board and started asking for help.

I was vacuuming the sand all the way to the bottom. This is the advice I got from someone that's been in the hobby and the business for 25 years. So far he has helped me a bunch. I've recently stopped because of everything I'm reading tells me not to do that and gives pretty good reason why I should stop. Since I stopped the deep vacuuming I now have bubble again thru out the sand bed.
When I started the tank I use all wet "Bio-active live" aragonite sand. I never seeded it with anything. So it's got only what was "live" ,in a sealed bag of wet sand, and what came off the rock.
I've got a large cleaner crew. A mixture of about 300+ snails including cerith,astrea,nass,nerite and a few mexican turbos plus about 150 blue and 100 red hermitts. I've got 2 atlantic cuke and 2 fighting conch on back order to help with stirring the sand.
I've never added more live sand.

I really appreciate everyones help. I don't want to get into SPS if I'm not confident I can keep them with out killing them. I killed several fish early on in this hobby due to a pump that failed while I was on vacation and I don't want to go thru that again. I want to be careful in chosing what I'm capable of keeping. Of course I say that and I'm sure you noticed my Elegance, probably not a wise choice.
I think I need to alow the changes I've made to my husbandry, changing my sock 3 times a week, not deeply vacuuming the sand, maintaining water changes of 55 gals instead of 30 and adding a fug as quikly a possible, have time to take effect.
Thanks again and if I need to do something differently with my sand bed please let me know.

 

[mojoreef]

Man old saint you do alot more maintence then I do. On your sand if it is a thin bed, like 1 1/2 to less I would continue to clean it. If it is deeper then I would leave it and allow it to cycle your nutrients, BUT remember that a dsb is relient on worms and such for bioturbidation to make it work so make sure you have a deent population of mainly worms.
On the tank and the maintence you do its all good, personally I only blow off my rocks once a month, same with syphoning. The one thing I would change that you do, is the socks. Keep them off the tank until you do your cleaning, then just put them on for the day that you are blowing the rocks.
I know you are probibly hooked on the fact they polish the water so well, if so maybe look to using some ozone in its stead. If hooked up properly its an awesome way to get rid of organics (nitrates included)


MIke

 

[DonW]

Hey Mike, how about a explanation for not running filter socks 24/7

Thanks
Don

 

[mojoreef]

You can Don, but its a lot of work and compared to the gain I am not sure it is worth it if you have a decent skimmer. Its take hours for nitrifing bacteria to form inside that sock, with the addition of highly oxygenated water and a food source the bacteria will be producing nitrates with in hours.

Old saint how big are your clams??


MIke

 

[oldsaint]

I'd say my sand bed averages 1 1/2" some places it may max out at 2 1/2"
If I take out the socks I'll need to add some bubble trap walls to the sump, thats the other thing I like about the socks.
I have 2 clams that are just over 3" and 2 that are right at or about a 1/4" below 3"

 

[kevinpo]

Denitrification occurs in the sandbed 2-2.5" or deeper, so if you have less than that or are vacuuming above that depth you will not be interfering with the process.

You do not have to put the typical baffles in your sump to prevent bubbles. Try a small bucket placed under your drain. Place the small bucket inside a slightly larger bucket that has some slots cut around the bottom of it to allow the water to escape. Be sure the small bucket is at least 1" below the water height so the water doesn't drop out of it into the larger bucket. The larger bucket needs to be slightly taller then the water level so all the water leaving it flows out the slots at the bottom. I use an old macaroni container for the small bucket and a 1 gallon ice cream bucket for the larger one.

A refugium is one of the best (and easiest) ways to reduce nitrate accumulation IME/IMO.

HTH,
Kevin

 

[Haole]

Great idea! Cheap and easy! I’ll have to try that out when I go to set up my own new sump/refugium. Thanks for posting that, Kevin.

 

[mojoreef]

Kev neat little plan for the bubble reduction. While talking with Rob Toonan when he was doing his plenum/dsb experiments, on the 25 tanks he had going he said that he was experencing dentirification at 3/4 of an inch. Probibly once the biofilms began to develope. Its still not a problem to clean it up good as tha bacteria will switch over to oxygen until its used up and thier is no chance for sulphur reducing bacteria


Mike