Filitration
- Thread starter jcr37962
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a refugium is a place to grow and have macroalgae - macroalgae converts nitrates to x. <-- i am sure someone will elaborate, but that is pretty much the basis of a refugium.
Filter sock is a mech filter that catches debris and clarifies water <-- must have IMO.
The more LR the better, more biological filtration.
Carbon, all i know is that absorbs nitrates and other bad things, you should also change it out once a month. Unless you buy seachem carbon then you can change it out every 3 months. Carbon is pretty complex - obviously i dont know much about it, i just know that it is good to have.
Hope this helps
Uv sterlizer requires its own pump w/ very little flow through it. A sterlizer kills parasites, algae, and also clarifies water.
Filter sock is a mech filter that catches debris and clarifies water <-- must have IMO.
The more LR the better, more biological filtration.
Carbon, all i know is that absorbs nitrates and other bad things, you should also change it out once a month. Unless you buy seachem carbon then you can change it out every 3 months. Carbon is pretty complex - obviously i dont know much about it, i just know that it is good to have.
Hope this helps
Uv sterlizer requires its own pump w/ very little flow through it. A sterlizer kills parasites, algae, and also clarifies water.
If you're using the cartridges for the Millennium filter, you would already have carbon running on your system.
Can you give a few more details about the system? Specifically:
What kind of lighting - be as specific as possible about bulbs? (this is really irrelevant for FOWLR, but good to know)
Is there anything in the sump and how big is it?
Do you have any circulation other than the Millennium and the Seaclone?
Is there any substrate (i.e. sand, gravel, etc) on the bottom? What kind and how deep?
And, of course, what kinds of fish do you have and what are you planning/hoping to add to the tank?
Can you give a few more details about the system? Specifically:
What kind of lighting - be as specific as possible about bulbs? (this is really irrelevant for FOWLR, but good to know)
Is there anything in the sump and how big is it?
Do you have any circulation other than the Millennium and the Seaclone?
Is there any substrate (i.e. sand, gravel, etc) on the bottom? What kind and how deep?
And, of course, what kinds of fish do you have and what are you planning/hoping to add to the tank?
I am using Millennium carbon filiters. I dont know what kind of lights I have their made by Coralife, when I bought them I told the guy I wanted enough light for corals. The sump is 10-15 gallon sump with Bio-Balls and a cloth to collect algae. The sump is giving me some circulation but not enough. The Seaclone has a Maxi Jet 1200 for the intake. I have about 2-3 inches of sand and around 15 pounds of live rock(coverd in hair algae, having problem with it.) I have a Dogface Puffer, Dragon Goby, Yellow tail Blue damsil. I want to add more fish to the tank.
Since you only have 15lbs of LR covered in hair algae - I would just throw them away and get new Live rock, get rid of your bioballs - and replace with LR - LR has better bio filtration. Your lights are prob power compacts. You will want to get some circulation in your tank. Buy some powerheads. Test your nitrates and see what they are. Anything over 80 or 90 - you will definetly need to make some changes.
I'd bet that "Dad, I'm just going to toss $75+ in the trash" might bring his parental support for the hobby to a screeching halt.
The nitrates are probably because of the bio balls. For continued FOWLR operation, that's not critical unless you want to add invertebrates.
For the live rock, you can take out pieces and scrub the algae off with a toothbrush. Another possible solution is to get more LR (around 50 to 60 pounds more) and loose the bio balls. A Sally Lightfoot crab would help with the algae as well, but the puffer might make a meal of him. I'm not too familiar with puffers other than that they are not reef-safe. Do you have a clean up crew (snails, hermit crabs, etc)?
On circulation, I would pick up a Hydor pump or Seio for some flow in the tank. Either one or two pumps that total around 600-800 gph will get you good oxygen exchange.
skriz
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Dont trash the LR. Do as George suggested and scrub it. Add much more rock. you can also keep the lights off for a few days, this will help with the algae and wont hurt the tank.
Dump the bio balls.
Do a water change.
You don't need to run carbon continuously. You can remove it; this will increase your flow some. I would only run carbon either as needed or on a fixed schedule (ie. one week a month)
Make sure you clean/change the cloth often (this is the sock that chris reffered to). it is best to have 2 cloths: one in the sump, the other waiting to replace it. This way you always have a clean one on standby and gives you time to clean it.
add some powerheads. You can get some cheap here on the boards.
Dump the bio balls.
Do a water change.
You don't need to run carbon continuously. You can remove it; this will increase your flow some. I would only run carbon either as needed or on a fixed schedule (ie. one week a month)
Make sure you clean/change the cloth often (this is the sock that chris reffered to). it is best to have 2 cloths: one in the sump, the other waiting to replace it. This way you always have a clean one on standby and gives you time to clean it.
add some powerheads. You can get some cheap here on the boards.
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Definately dump the bio balls. They're a nitrate factory.
The more live rock, the better.
Add some flow as others have suggested. I love the seio powerheads but they are a little pricey.
Might consider some hermits and snails as suggested by George. I have personally had good results from a lawnmower blenny to get rid of hair algae.
The more live rock, the better.
Add some flow as others have suggested. I love the seio powerheads but they are a little pricey.
Might consider some hermits and snails as suggested by George. I have personally had good results from a lawnmower blenny to get rid of hair algae.
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The puffer is probably eating your crabs. I know mine did.
good luck w/ getting rid of hair algae. I am not sure it would be worth the hassle for only having 15lbs of LR. You can usually find LR on here for #2 per lb. But you can sure give it a try. I have heard that a sea hare will get rid of hair algae??
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Ouling is right. He's not trying to be mean (I think) but there are a lot of books that will help you tremendously. People on this site have a lot of knowledge and will help you but it would pay for you to invest some time in research on your own.
