Highland Reefer

IMHO, the cheapest method for your system size would be to use a food grade pickling lime (kalk) from the grocery store. Especially if you buy it on sale. As suggested above, you mix up the kalk in a larger container depending on what your consumption is. Kalk is saturated at 2 tsps / 1 gallon rodi water. You than run a dosing pump, set at just a little bit more than what your tank evaporates in a day. You control this with a float switch. If the float switch fails, the most that can happen is that you will be adding just a little bit more than what you actually need (no real overdose). With this method you will only need one dosing pump, as long as 2 tsps. kalk per gallon meets your needs for calcium and alkalinity. Kalk is a balanced additive, meaning it will supply the needs of alkalinity and calcium in a proportion that your system will consume them. You may have to adjust your alk & calcium initially with two part mixes. Using kalk will also have an added advantage of keeping your pH up higher if you have high CO2 levels in your home, like I do. The only other problem which has not been mention above is that in all the methods you will have the possibility of an under dose if the pump fails. This can be over come but will cost you more money. Depending on the salt mix you select, you will need to adjust your water change mix each time you change your water. For example, if you use Instant Ocean, you will need to add more calcium & magnesium each time you do a water change. For these adjustments, I find that using Randy Holmes-Farley's Mixes are the most economical. Reef Chemistry Calculator: http://home.comcast.net/~jdieck1/chemcalc.html These articles will help also: Limewater (kalkwasser) What Your Grandmother Never Told You About Lime http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2005-01/rhf/index.htm The Self Purification of Limewater (Kalkwasser) http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/may2003/chem.htm The Degradation of Limewater (Kalkwasser) in Air http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-...ature/index.htm Magnesium and Strontium in Limewater http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/dec2003/chem.htm How to Select a Calcium and Alkalinity Supplementation Scheme http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/feb2003/chem.htm Metals in Aquaria Aluminum and aluminum-based phosphate binders http://www.advancedaquarist.com/iss...ly2003/chem.htm Reef Aquaria with Low Soluble Metals http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2003-...ature/index.htm Tap Water in Reef Aquaria http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/jan2004/chem.htm First Iron Article: Macroalgae and Dosing Recommendations http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/aug2002/chem.htm Second Iron Article: Iron: A Look at Organisms Other than Macroalgae http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/oct2002/chem.htm The Self Purification of Limewater (Kalkwasser) http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/may2003/chem.htm ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When saturated kalk water no longer meets your needs at 2 tsps kalk / gallon of rodi water, you will have the option of adding vinegar to your kalk mix and gain another 1/3 more calcium and alk. Expanding the Limits of Limewater: Adding Organic Carbon Sources (vinegar) http://web.archive.org/web/20001102180738/...bio/default.asp

My Yellowstripe Maroon Clown keeps my RBTA well fed, where ever he decides to move.

Thanks for the impute. I wonder if adding vinegar to my kalk would have anything to do with it, with increased bacterial availability. I am not sure if RBTA feed on bacteria.

My nitrates are reading zero with a new Salifert Kit and my phosphates are reading zero with a Hach PO-19 and a Salifert Kit. I am due to change my GFO soon. It has been about a month since I changed the bulbs, so I don't think doing any changes at this point will be helpful. It has started to act like it is recuperating from the light change this week. I appreciate all the help and will make sure I follow your advise the next time I change the bulbs.

10 hrs.

I have had a RBTA for a while now. When I bought it, the color of the center area was pretty much white. I recently changed my light from a 14,000 K to a 10,000 K. The RBTA has changed from white in the center to a brown color. It also hides in the rocks for a period of time each day. The tentacles are not as long now. It eats well. Is this a concern?

You are not dosing a carbon source? Carbon sources can cause bacterial mats which are usually clear or brown in color. Green would be algae. There are brown algae also.

I would try running some grannular ferric oxide (GFO) in your phosphate reactor instead of carbon and see what that does. Limiting your phosphates to below 0.03 usually will keep the algae under control. The problem with hobby grade phosphate test kits is they are not very accurate at low levels. I'm glad to hear about you two getting back together and wish you both the best.

IMHO, controlling nitrates & phosphates in a reef system is the number one problem in this hobby. I see beginners at the LFS all the time eyeing the salt water fish and corals. Usually they have had fresh water fish and decided to go for it. They have no understanding of water parameters, the nitrogen cycle or anything that is involved in this hobby. They rely on the LFS for advice & are told that it really does not cost much & all they need is a skimmer, proper water circulation, proper lights, live rock and some sand. They buy a system & are up in running. The first thing they add are usually fish. At this point, they do not have any plan for taking care of the nitrates & phosphates and think a skimmer & live rock will take care of the problem. They always seem to add to many fish for what their system can handle. The next thing that happens is microalgae takes over their system and then they learn about the problems of exporting nitrates and phosphates. Many drop out because of the algae problems. Perhaps the beginners would be better off if they were told that they need a large refugium with lots of sand & macroalgae to start with rather than buying some cheap skimmer that does not work very well. Later on, they could add on a nice skimmer if they insist on adding more & more fish.

Do you use carbon filtration in your system? I would think the toxins produced by corals would be a possible concern.

Using UV while adding vodka, sugar or vinegar can be counterproductive. It will kill the free floating bacteria that is driven by carbon dosing. However, when exporting nutrients through bacteria, you will be skimming them off anyway. UV will not have much affect on the bacteria that is attached or located in a deep sand bed.

Are you sure they are diatoms and not a bacteria? I would not put much faith in AWT results. Their equipment is not the best for a so called professional company. You get all of the tests done from AWT for the cost of just one test from a truly professional company using good quality equipment. Every test I have seen from them, comes back with high Silica levels. Do you have access to a microscope?

I would at least float the fish in the bag and then add small amounts of tank water (1/2 cup) every 15 minutes for at least an hour or two. Dripping is better. One of the big problems IMO is many reefers keep their salinity at around 1.026 - 1.027. The LFS typically keeps their salinity at 1.022. This is a fairly drastic change. Other problems can be a large difference in tank water pH or alkalinity. A pH change of greater than 0.2 is not recommended and should be done gradually. An alk. change of more than 2.0 should be done gradually. It may take a fairly long period of time before a fish dies from improper acclimation. If the fish stay in the bag long enough, a build-up of ammonia could occur, which is more dangerous to the fish. Ammonia build-up during shipping is one of the big killers of fish when they are transported to local fish stores & the way the LFS acclimates can be the reason why your fish die.

How are you acclimating your new fish to your tank after you buy them?

When you clean your glass, I am assuming that you mean you are cleaning a green film off the glass and not a clearer type of film with no green color or a brown film due to diatoms. There are always phosphates in your system as long as you are feeding your fish. Otherwise, everything would die. The goal would be to have the levels low enough to prevent the microalgae from becoming a problem. Having a zero reading for phosphates is a good sign, but does not mean that you do not have phosphates. None of these meters or kits are that accurate at the levels we are talking about. Some of the forms of phosphate are not detected by the photometers. This is why I use the Hach PO-19 kit. There are many factors that can come into play as to why you are having this problem. An example would be if your rock and sand remained in a high phosphate environment for an extended period of time in the past. During this period the phosphates would become bound in your rock. Once the levels of phosphates are reduced in the water column below that of the rock, then the phosphates from the rock and sand would begin to leach into the water column. This would continue until they are equal to that of your water column. In other cases, the phosphates would be in a chemical form that would not be detected by your kit or photometer. The bottom line, is to have enough GFO in your reactor & having enough water flow, but not too much flow to continually pull the phosphates out of your system. In your case, I would increase the amount of GFO used if you had a reactor.

The more anaerobic & aerobic bacteria your system can house, the more nitrates and phosphates can be broken down. Carbon sources dosed will be able to drive a lot more bacteria, if you decide to go that route.

Stirring up a deep sand bed can have adverse affects, like releasing to much sulfur, which is toxic. So, I would be cautious as to what you add in that respect. Certainly, adding things that will eat the top debris will not be harmful. I would think that bristle worms & certain snails would be ok. Things like conk snails, I would not add.

IMO keeping nitrates below 0.2 ppm and phosphates below 0.03 are the main problems in reefing. You guys have hit on many of the methods used to do this. What is the main cause of the problem? I think that setting up a reef system with a sand bed with less than 4" is the main offender. The shallow sand beds are nutrient sinks. I feel that either going bare bottom or installing at least a 4" (preferably 6") sand bed and not stirring it up are the best approaches. You will need adequate water flow to prevent settlement of food and excrement. The top 10 methods used to reduce nitrates & phosphates (they all will help): 1) Proper water flow. 2) Use RODI water. 3) Proper feeding habits. 4) Keeping the proper bio-load in your system (number of fish). 5) Proper skimming techniques. 6) Install a refugium with a 6" deep sand bed & macro algae (the bigger the better). 7) Dose iron for your macroalgae. 8) Keep your water temperature between 80-82 which will double the rate of reproduction of the bacteria vs. temp. below 80. 9) Install a GFO/GAC reactor. 10) If all the above fail, then dose a carbon source. Most hobbyists will need to use a combination of the above to achieve the levels desired. Carbon dosing: You will have a choice of using vinegar, vodka, sugar, store bought additives like NEOZEO or combinations thereof. They all have their pros & cons. They all work, but you need to know about their cons. I personally use vinegar with kalk, primarily because with it I do not have to dose for alk or calcium.

The test kits used to measure phosphates down in the range of 0.02 are fairly expensive. I have used the API, which will let you know if your levels are quite high, but are worthless down at the lower levels. I use the Salifert & it is ok, as long as you get readings of zero. The best: Photometers are pricey @ over $200.00. I use the Hach PO4-19, which will run you about $90.00 including shipping. The refills are only about $20.00/100 tests. I still think that judging your phosphates by the amount of scrapping of algae on your glass is the best test kit. If you have to clean your glass more than once per week, then your phosphates are too high. Using this method with the Salifert Kit works great and is the most economical approach. If the phosphates get too high then you need to cut back on your feeding. If that does not work, then you have to adjust your GFO: add more flow or more GFO or replace it. If they get too low (no scrapping for more than 1.5 weeks), then you need the reverse. The GFO reactor is great for this fine tuning.

Caulerpa is macroalgae that falls into the Chlorophyta Phylum (green algae group). It grows in various shades of bright green colors, as well as different forms and shapes - some growing tall, others growing as mats. With over a hundred of this species found in tropical and temperate waters worldwide, two of the most common forms popular with aquarists are the Feather and Grape varieties. http://saltaquarium.about.com/cs/algaecontrol/a/aa112000.htm There are plenty of other scientific journals & studies that site Caulerpa as a macroalgae. The definition of macroalgae is not defined by an algae being a single celled or multi-celled organism.

I use the Home Depot compact florescent flood 6500 K bulbs also. They will say natural daylight bulbs on them and in the fine print will say they are 6500 K. bulbs. You put them in regular light bulb sockets. They are cheaper in the long run.

You need grannular ferric oxide. Pura Complete is carbon, from what i can gather from this description: ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Magnavore PURA Complete PURA Complete is a blend of GFH; reef type macro-porous select grade bituminous carbon with a high abrasion number and low ash content specifically designed for aqueous phase filtration; and a top grade zeo-sorbent with a high cation exchange capacity for ammonia and heavy metals. This product will remove a very broad range of organic waste like urine, phenols, coloring agents, odors, and proteins; a very broad range of heavy metals like copper, lead, and mercury that accumulate over time from trace quantities found in all fish foods; a very broad range of toxins like medicinal residues, ammonia, formaldehyde and arsenic. It will also remove large quantities of aquarium scum promoters like phosphates and silicates and stress promoters like decomposing food by-products. This is the product of choice for advanced reef, marine, and fresh water hobbyists, combining top performing ingredients, broad spectrum chemical filtration activity, low cost, and a fantastic performance to price ratio. PURA Complete is pH-neutral and is used just like carbon. PURA Complete is ideal for canisters, filter bags, and corner filters. This product has more chemical activity than any other media blend and will not degrade with exposure to high flow rates. Packed hydrated with an induction welded foil seal for freshness, protection, and long shelf life. Used as directed, this product will maintain extremely low phosphate levels and extremely low levels of all aquarium pollutants, allowing the most sensitive aquarium specimens to thrive. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For what it is worth, you can buy granular ferric oxide & granular activated carbon much cheaper at Bulk Reef Supply. If you run these in a reactor it is much more effective. BFS also sells a good quality dual reactor at a good price.

The test kits we use are not that accurate at the levels of phosphate we are shooting for. You need to keep the phosphate levels below 0.03 ppm. IME your phosphate levels are above 0.02 due to the algae growing on your glass, which is a good indicator (probably better than the kits). If your phosphate levels are below 0.5 (our kits can detect these levels), then a good solution would be to run GFO in a reactor.

Dosing a carbon source in small tanks can be difficult due to the volume of water your are working with. I have not had experience with vodka or sugar. If you wanted to try some vinegar, I would add it to your top-off water at a starting rate of 15 ml of vinegar to one gallon of rodi water. See how that affects the reduction of your nitrates & phosphates. You can slowly increase the dosage as you see fit up to about 30 ml. vinegar to 1 gallon of rodi. Vinegar is a week acid and should not decrease you pH noticably at the above rates. I am dosing vinegar at 75 ml. vinegar per gallon of rodi currently, with no ill effects to my pH. I am not recommending anybody dose at the rates I am at, this is experimental on my part and there are many factors that come into play, which you should be aware of before trying it.

I would just use the average of the two. A 2 dkH difference is not a big deal. I think that most kits have a +/- of 3 points dkH tolerance as far as accuracy goes. So from that point of view, they are the same. They call it Test noise.