Highland Reefer

Macoalgae uses a lot of iron. You add iron through feeding your fish, but in many systems it is not high enough for the macro to grow properly and is the limiting factor. I am currently dosing about 5 ml. of Fe++ to about 145 gal. of tank water weekly and the macro has doubled in size rapidly.

The pH could definitely change. The other parameters should be ok, unless they had a precipitaion event going on when they took the samples.

I first started dosing vinegar with the kalk. My nitrates came down from around 80 to around 25. Later I added a deep sand bed refugium. The nitrates dropped to about 2-3. I later stopped dosing vinegar and the nitrates went back up to about 15. I restarted vinegar and they dropped down to about 2-3. I repeated this with the same results. I then added chaeto and it did not grow and nothing happened. I then started dosing iron and now my nitrates are down to zero. My phosphates were reading low, but not low enough to stop the microalgae. I then started using GFO/GAC in a reactor & the microalgae has died off and what is left is dieing. Next, I am going to siphon out the crushed coral (big sink) and put in a 4" sand bed. I have used a 55 gallon Pepsi barrel with 6" of sand. I only have to clean my tank glass about every 1.5 weeks now. I used to have to clean it every other day. When I have to clean my tank glass once per week, I change the GFO. I find that how often I need to clean the glass is a good indicator of where my phosphates are at.

There have been many threads on RC about this company. The quality of their equipment is not what you would expect from a professional lab. They use meters and not titration methods or otherwise precise methods used in professional labs. One thread that comes to mind, but I could not find, took a sample from one tank and divided it into three different samples. They had three different reefers submit the samples to them. The results were three significantly different readings of water parameters.

Deep sand beds are divided into three zones. The top aerobic layer which extends down to around 2", the transitional zone at 2-3" and the anaerobic layer which is deeper than the 3" layer. In a 3" sand bed, there is mainly a transitional zone area. If you add more sand, then the size of the anaerobic layer will increase, as well as the number of anaerobic bacteria. A deep sand bed should be at least 4" and preferably 6" in depth. A 6" deep sand bed: 2" aerobic layer; 1" transitional zone; 3" anaerobic layer. The above is just an approximation depending on the size, mix and type of sand you are using. Scientific experiments have shown that when the temperatures range above 80 degrees, that the anaerobic bacteria reproduction rate almost doubles. One argument for keeping your reef temp. at around 80-82 degrees. "Deep Sand Beds", by Dr. Ron Shimek: http://www.ronshimek.com/deep_sand_beds.html In my system, mixing vinegar with kalk has increased the effectiveness of my 6" deep sand bed significantly.

When was the last time you cleaned & calibrated your pH meter? There are only a couple of companies that make food grade lime. The process is expensive. I believe that most of the aquarium suppliers purchase their lime from Mississippi Lime Co. I have read that their is now an European source.

I agree with a pH monitor. When it comes to pH, kits are not that accurate.

Are you dosing any carbon sources now?

Try dosing iron for your macroalgae. Many times the macro will not grow very fast because it is limited by the availability of the iron.

I bought the same reactor & luv it so far. It is built to last. Bob, if your nitrates are still high, you may be a good candidate for dosing a carbon source, which would bring your levels down considerably. Using GFO/GAC in a reactor is great, but if your levels are high, it may be very expensive.

I have been using mine for 6 or so months now without problems. The last time I tested my Phosphates, they were zero using the Hach & Salifert Kits. I do not have any odors left at this point. I do not see any concerns with using these barrels. You would have a lot more phosphates brought in bound in used sand & used rock from a tank with higher phosphates then in one of these barrels rinsed well. If you run some carbon in this tank, it may help with the odor. For what it is worth, Women have a lot more receptors for odors in their nose, then men and can detect odors to much lower concentrations then us guys. Ever wonder why the guys seem to splash on to much Cologne for women's preference?

Welcome to WAMAS. Tank looks great.

Kalk has a high pH and you will have to dose it in small amounts directly into your tank over the course of a day or the pH will rise to quickly. Otherwise it is a good way to go. "How to Select a Calcium and Alkalinity Supplementation Scheme" by Randy Holmes-Farley: http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/feb2003/chem.htm

If you are truly concerned I would soak all the rock & sand in muriatic acid or vinegar to kill everything and to try to get rid of any phosphates that the rock & sand have absorbed. This would also help in reducing any possible heavy metal contaminants. I do not believe much could live through this procedure and it has worked for many aquarists in the past. This a link about how to properly do it: http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthre...mp;pagenumber=1

There is no such kit available. Aquarium grade test kits are not that accurate by nature of methods used. Lab grade procedures would be too time consuming and expensive. You could get into using pipettes & scales, but is it worth it? Then you run into the problems of how can one prove that their kit is more accurate. One could question the results of professional labs, look at the results that occur in the papers. There are problems with different batches of kits from the same manufacturer. So if we try to do a proper comparison, how long will this comparison stay true? I believe that most of the problems with the aquarium grade kits is the lack of following proper procedures. Do you properly rinse the test vials, syringes & spoons with rodi water after every use. Do you use clean towels to wipe with? Do you keep the surface clean that you work on? Do you intermix the equipment between test kits? The list goes on & on. These procedures can make big differences in the results. As far as aquarium grade kits go, I believe that consistency is more important. All these kits are only an approximation of the true readings & the range of error leaves something to be desired.

Howard Turk has specific hours for pepsi barrel pick up, make sure you call him 1st. I would not bother to leave a message, he does not return messages. The best time to call is around 9-10 AM. "Just for the record, it wasn't me that started it this time " Yeah Right,

You can buy them here: Hyattsville, Maryland. Pepsi Plant - Barrels are $5 each. Howard Turk, Recycling Coordinator, 301.322.7000 I do not have any barrels left at this time.

Fluoride also?

Thanks for the info & links.

Bummer. :( People use Caulerpa all the time without it going sexual on them. I thought it would give you more notice than you obviously received. I only use chaeto currently & was pondering the idea of trying some caulerpa (despite the warnings) because I here so many people use it without problems. Now that I have seen the consequences in your tank, I think I will stay away from it. Sorry for your misfortune.

When I first started out I bought a lavender teapot. It only lasted about 2 months. Of course the vendor told me they were easy to take care of. :(

You can tell the employee at the plumbing supply store what you have and they can put together a T seup on the brass fitting and then screw the hose back to the new fitting. The whole set-up should be less than $15.00. They can hook a control valve (faucet) in the setup also. Make sure you get the plastic line also to reach your setup.

If you can take the white tubing line out and take it to a plumbing supply store, they should be able to set you up.

It would be interesting to compare the calcium, alkalinity, magnesium, phosphate & nitrate kits to the results you receive from Aquarium Water Testing. If I were closer I would bring my kits over to just compare the results.

Calcium chloride from BRS for Calcium. Use baking soda for the alk. part if you do not need a raise in pH or use baked baking soda if you do need a raise in pH. Use the Chemistry calculator to determine the amounts you need to add.