coral's colors
- Thread starter cooper
- Start date
Yes, I agree. I had another reefer that wanted to talk to me about my setup. They were like "you have some of the most beautiful corals what are you doing?" Well, there is nothing majic here and my system is a lot simpler than most. I just keep my perams spot on and stable, provide them with quality light. I do not direct feed but they get food out of the water column from the rods food.
Great analogy IMO. Right on the spot!
The ocean only appears to be a desert, because we can't 'see' much of what is in the water. The ocean's plankton productivity, and coresponding nutritionally content, simply DWARFS any other ecosystem on earth!
(now everyone runs for the door to grab their microscopes! ...LOL)
Regularly, preferably with cranberry juice.......................LOL
As for reef tanks-
While I believe in, and advocate, the addition of organic carbon sources to reef tanks, the short answer is no. I prefer instead, to make calcium acetate by mixing calcium hydroxide (Kalk or Mrs. Wages pickling lime as it is also known) with distilled white vinegar. You can use alcohols, acetates, vinegar itself, or some other organic carbon sources with success. The article below is where I first read about it. Enjoy.
A lot of people I have shown this article to didn't 'get it'. They skip over understanding it and think it's just about dosing kalk. What goes on with this is one of the 'few win, win, win' scenarios we ever encounter in reefing. If understood, and done correctly, you get balanced calcium, alkalinity plus denitrification! All from your top-off water.
I am planning an experiment using ammonia to facilitate advanced nitrogen management in an aquarium. If successful it will solve the problems with the sizing and fluctuations of denitrification filters and possibly help with phoshate magement too.
(the crowd shrivels in horror at the mere mention of this insidious compound, girl shreeks! Eeeek!)
I am planning an experiment using ammonia to facilitate advanced nitrogen management in an aquarium. If successful it will solve the problems with the sizing and fluctuations of denitrification filters and possibly help with phoshate magement too.
(the crowd shrivels in horror at the mere mention of this insidious compound, girl shreeks! Eeeek!)
Good idea! I suggest that if this is done, you also add a second 'control' group using 18/6 photoperiod with food as well. This will help seperate the 'apples from the oranges' down the line when analyzing your data, and silence all (most) naysayers to boot.
fullmonti
Member
WOW fast moving thread
ref. sunnyx tank on reef2reef I love the idea of a simple perfectly balanced system you have to do almost nothing to. I just think it takes along long time to learn/understand enough to actually pull it off.
Cooper
I feed 2 drops amino acid, 2 drops coral vitalizer, 4 drops sponge power, 2 ml
pohl's xtra all daily all zeo products plus 3-4 drops of zeobak. I like a liitle, more often rather than a lot once or twice a week. Colors looking good!
I also feed fish small amount (eat it all in no more than 1 minute) 2-3 times a day. I do have a bit of algae issue with this much feeding, but putting together a algae scrubber to take care of that. Trying to get that balance thing working better.
I have a 180sps system with large reeflo skimmer about 250gal total, with
1050w MH radiums.
comments?
ref. sunnyx tank on reef2reef I love the idea of a simple perfectly balanced system you have to do almost nothing to. I just think it takes along long time to learn/understand enough to actually pull it off.
Cooper
I feed 2 drops amino acid, 2 drops coral vitalizer, 4 drops sponge power, 2 ml
pohl's xtra all daily all zeo products plus 3-4 drops of zeobak. I like a liitle, more often rather than a lot once or twice a week. Colors looking good!
I also feed fish small amount (eat it all in no more than 1 minute) 2-3 times a day. I do have a bit of algae issue with this much feeding, but putting together a algae scrubber to take care of that. Trying to get that balance thing working better.
I have a 180sps system with large reeflo skimmer about 250gal total, with
1050w MH radiums.
comments?
Agreed. Skimmers are inherently more efficient at screening out things just like phyto, thanks to our ingenuity. Plankton is there, naturally occuring and the natural food item. Just do everythingpossible to keep the system healthy and have a place for planktors to multiply (the fuge) and leave the rest to nature.
fullmonti
Member
All I know is my corals colors got MUCH better when I started feeding them.
I'm sure there might be other factors coming into play here, & after every
thing has been running smoothly for a good while I plan to start discontinuing
one thing at a time to see what is & isn't helping.
I try to not speak in absolutes & tend to be leery of those who do, since so few
things in live are absolute.
Any way have enjoyed the insights & experiences.
I'm sure there might be other factors coming into play here, & after every
thing has been running smoothly for a good while I plan to start discontinuing
one thing at a time to see what is & isn't helping.
I try to not speak in absolutes & tend to be leery of those who do, since so few
things in live are absolute.
Any way have enjoyed the insights & experiences.
Good perspective Monti. Do you 'spot feed' like using a syringe or baster? When I feed things, I think this is the way to do it. We just don't have the dilution capacity that the ocean does, so we filter a lot. Like I have said before, "it's hard to argue with success". If what you do works well, why would you change?
I do think it is wasteful to 'broadcast-pick-ur-additive-here' into a tank and expect most of it to end up in the digestive track of some filter feeder.
fullmonti
Member
I spot feed rodifers 1-2 times a week.
Really my goal is to get the balance right to where I don't feel like I need the
dosing. But for now the tank looks good & I want it to settle in before I
start simplifying.
Really my goal is to get the balance right to where I don't feel like I need the
dosing. But for now the tank looks good & I want it to settle in before I
start simplifying.
I agree, same end goal. I think the sizes of our refugiums will have a lot to do with this. We may need to go from them being an 'afterthought' to being a prominant section of our systems.
I grew up in central Florida and spent several years studying the estuaries, mangove islands and mud flats on both coasts. I can tell you from first hand experience, much of which was centered with good scientific guidance by a very passionate highschool Aquatic Ecology teacher named Robert Smith, how productive these areas are. What he helped me to learn was how magnificently productive and diverse these environmets are, and what a large contribution they make to the adjacent marine ecosystems. I discussed this once briefly with Julian Sprung, who grew up in Miami, and he agreed.
Now, to get my wife to increase the tank budget by say 20x.....?
fullmonti
Member
I know this is a bit off topic, but dif people have said the skimmer just takes
these additives out. It's been my understanding that skimmers do a good job
of taking dissolved organics out, but a poor to not all on none organics???
these additives out. It's been my understanding that skimmers do a good job
of taking dissolved organics out, but a poor to not all on none organics???
Good point, and I think you are correct. Now that you mention it, I seem to remember reading a study where the contents of various skimmer cups was analyzed and the conclusion was the same. Thanks, I had forgotten about this, and it's important to understand. Lots 'o' gunk (proteins), but not much solids. I think other types of filtration and settling may be mostly to blame if the additive does not get into the critter. This week I had my eyes really opened widely by how high some of the flows in various tanks may be. Lots of flow would certainly help keep things, like phyto for instance, suspended in the water column longer.
fullmonti
Member
I'm glad I hadn't misunderstood that one.
I grew up in Daytona beach, I had saltwater fish only in the 60s&70s.
Good (bad) old days of air powered HOB with nothing but carbon & floss.
Managed to keep them alive for few years, more because of NSW than
special knowledge on my part.
Been nice chatting with you
I grew up in Daytona beach, I had saltwater fish only in the 60s&70s.
Good (bad) old days of air powered HOB with nothing but carbon & floss.
Managed to keep them alive for few years, more because of NSW than
special knowledge on my part.
Been nice chatting with you
Winter Haven here. Your an old codger like me! Yeah, my first salt tank was when I turned my 55 into a salt set-up. I had an undergravel filter, a Supreme Aqua Master HOB power filter (remember them), and a Sanders limewood airstone driven HOB skimmer. Man, I was livin large. I won a prize that summer for most fish killed (jk-but sadly, I felt like I should have). I was working as a brick masons laborer in THAT HEAT and HUMIDITY for summer money. Everything I made went into that tank. Man, have things changed!
fullmonti
Member
old codger here
I don't remember that particular filter but I definitely remember using undergravel filters. And you were livin large if you had a skimmer of any kind back then.
I'm pretty new to reef keeping, been playing catch up! No science/biology
background, so started way back in the pack.
Used to miss Florida, but not any more, never missed the heat/humidity. Tn
home now!
I don't remember that particular filter but I definitely remember using undergravel filters. And you were livin large if you had a skimmer of any kind back then.
I'm pretty new to reef keeping, been playing catch up! No science/biology
background, so started way back in the pack.
Used to miss Florida, but not any more, never missed the heat/humidity. Tn
home now!
