Reefkeeping 101 (If there is such a thing)

[Mike]

Disclaimer: The first several pager were written a few years ago. There have been some advances that I hope to cover in later entries.

Reefing 101 (if there is such a thing)

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Welcome to your life as a reefer!

Chances are if you're posting questions in the "New to the Hobby" forum you are in fact new at this. Owning and maintaining a living Ecosystem can be very rewarding as well as challenging. To do it and do it well requires a certain degree of dedication and willingness to accept and learn from your failures as well as the failures of those that came before you. If you have the patience and dedication required to meet the challenges you will face then this is a life long hobby to be enjoyed.

Some of the questions all new reefers ask relate to equipment purchases. Lets face it... Buying new gadgets is fun (I still enjoy my fair share of this favorite part of the hobby) and some of the stuff just looks really cool! I want to pose this question to you though.....Would you buy a new car without first researching the safety features and fuel economy? Chances are you might window shop for a while, find a model that interest you and then do some homework on it.

Buying equipment for a reef tank is much like purchasing a car. Some of the equipment used to maintain our little ecosystems can be very costly. There area a number of different types of protein skimmers, lighting, pumps..... you name it and chances are we can name 5-10 different manufacturers without thinking too hard at all. The bottom line here is never take any one persons word for anything in this department. Do your homework and then make a decision based on the information as you interpret it.

So what do I need to get going in this hobby?

The first thing you need will not cost you anything at all. I mentioned it early on. It is the thing that can make or break you in this hobby..... It's called patience. We have a saying in the hobby that is almost cliche' now, "Nothing positive ever happens quickly in a reef tank". No words could be more true. A tank may take months to cycle, years to fully develop into a thriving ecosystem but can crash (die off) in a matter of days to a few weeks. When you set up your aquarium please do it with patience in mind. There is always a tendency to try to rush the set up process so you can begin putting in all those wonderful things you see at the local fish store (LFS). All your future problem can be traced right back to the moment you started to rush the set up process. It takes more time to undue a rushed set up than it takes to be patient and do it right from the start. So patience is free and will save you money and will save the lives of the animals you intend to keep.

So you've listened now and have decided you will be patient!:D

The next thing to do is take some time and read about the hobby. You can do this right here on your new cyber-home. Go get a new comfortable chair because you don't want a sore rear end from the countless hours you will spend on this site and others digging through all the free material available. I would like others to contribute a book list please because I can't remember all of them

A few that do come to mind.

The new Marine Aquarium- Michael Palleta
Aquarium Corals- Eric Boreman
Reef Invertebrates- Robert Fenner & Anthony Calfo

These are nice references to have. They will guide you through equipment and set up. Keep in mind though that the hobby is always changing and what might have been true last year might not be as true today. Use these as a starting point but do not look upon them as the gospel truth or the only way to set up and maintain your aquarium.


I read all those book, looked at all the websites and went blind doing it, now what?

Chances are you now have a plan! You have no doubt seen an aquarium that caught your eye and has inspired you. Maybe it was just a few animals you liked but in any event you now have an idea!!

The next thing is to research what the animals you like require to be maintained in your new aquarium. This includes space, substrate and type, food sources and number of feedings per day, lighting and water motion to name a few. After you do all of this then its time to jump on this website and start picking everyones brains!! Guess what... and this is the best part....we will tell you what we think for FREE. There is such a well of knowledge here to be utilized by new and old reefers alike. Many of us have tried all types of equipment and can give you an honest review. This saves you from wasting your hard earned money on something you will need to replace later on. Bottom line.... Use the members here and the sposors as well. If you tell them you heard about them here they will likely give you some price break or package deal! So name drop at the LFS!

I could go on about equipment but I think I am going to defer to some other members so this is not all one sided (my point of view) but rather a collection of information from a rather ecclectic and genuine group of people.......

Again Welcome to Reefing and to Captivereefs.com


Mike
__________________
Anacroporamademepoora
--Lifetime member of the "No Mud Club"
"No Rubber Helmet's Please"

[Mike]

I think I am ready to go buy a tank now. What kind is the best?

SO you've picked out what we call the pivotal or focus species of the tank ,by that I mean the species who's captive requirments you are designing your system around. This could be anything from those ever popular clownfish and anemone tanks to my personal favorite SPS reef crest tanks. Some of the things I hope you have looked at are what area of the reef your animals usually reside in. I use the word usually because there are always exceptions to the rule. For instance I usually get up at 8:15am to get ready for work but somedays I get up earlier or later

With all of these things in mind it is time to go the the LFS to purchase your aquarium. Please remember this very important rule: A gallon is not a gallon is not a gallon when it comes to picking out a aquarium. When this exciting day comes for you to go get the aquarium please let patience intervene in the decision. I always tell people to get the largest aquarium they can afford to maintain. I also want you to know that the aqurium itself is one of the smaller investments you will make so do not be afraid to spend a little more for something a bit larger if you can afford to maintain it (more on cost later on)

Now I might have confused you with the gallon reference in the last paragraph so I will expand on this so it makes sense here. Lets take a standard size 50 gallon aquarium. These are so common that you see them at garage sales all summer long. If memory serves me (lets hope here) the demisions are something like 42long*12wide*18 tall. The 12 inches wide is what we are concerned with for our discussion here. Then lets look at the 50 "breeder. This is an ideal beginning tank for someone who just wnats to keep a few fish, maybe an clownfish and anemone tank, ect. This tank measures 36long*18wide*18 tall. Now this is also a 50 gallon......

Mike why is the breeder a better choice? They are both 50 gallons right?

Yes they are both 50 gallons! But remember a gallon is not a gallon in this case. The breeder is a better choice because of available Surface Area. If you are using live rock (which most of you will) and a sand bed (which many of you will do) then you want more area front to back. The reason is the area of sand that is active is typically the first 4 inches (more on that later). You will have a much better surface area in a wider tank (exposed sand for filtration) than in a longer tank of the same gallons because the volume of sand is distributed across the bottom differently.

If you ever had a sand box look at it like this. Take one box that is a rectangle and then one that is more square. Each has 100 pounds of sand in it for our explanation here. Now if both boxes contain 100 pound of sand which sand box will have more area to play in? The one that is more square will. So the lesson here is when you select a tank wider is better than longer especially if its between tanks of the same gallon rating.

Height of the aquarium is also important. This I will keep short. I tend to prefer tanks that are 18-24 inches deep but no more than 30 inches deep. The reason is light transmission through the water column becomes more challenging the deeper the tank gets. A good rule of thumb is for a first tank stick with 18 inches to 24 inches deep. This will give you more choices for lighting and the tank will also be easier to clean and arrange. For more on lighting please see the Sticky thread on lighting for the new reefer.

I will cover glass v. acrylic tonight as well as Reef Ready v. Non Reef Ready


Mike
__________________
Anacroporamademepoora
--Lifetime member of the "No Mud Club"
"No Rubber Helmet's Please"

[Mike]

Am I reef ready or not?

Most tanks I have owned (with the exception of my teenage years) have been either drilled by the manuacturer or by the LFS with an internal overflow installed. These tanks can be refered to as reef ready. What this means is that the tank has an overflow system already inplace as part of the tank to deliever the water to the sump for conditioning and purifying and then have it reutned to teh tank through either pre-drilled returns or perhaps an external manifold constructed by the owner.

Reef ready tanks are prefered over hang on teh tank over flows with siphon tubes for a few reasons. The first has to do with the U-tube or siphone tube that carries the water from teh internal part of this hang on overflow to the external part and out of the tank. In this system water from the sump will still be returned to the tank even if there is no water coming out. In this situation wo things can and often do happen. The forst thing is the tank will overflow and can ruin the flooring and even electrical equipment that may be saturated depending on the proximity if teh equipment to the overflowing tank. The second is the sump volume can become so low that the pumps will be running dry. This can ruin thousands of dollars in equipment.

This type of situation does not happen often in a Reef Ready tank because there is no siphone to break. Typically you will size the return pump based on what the manufacturer says the overflow can handle in an hour. Also you will install a union and ball valve and can use teh ball valve placed after the pump not on the intake side to control and dial back any over filling if the pump is slightly large for teh what the overflow is handling.

The prefered tank (especially if your using a sump) is the one that is Reef Ready.

Now glass v Acrylic is a matter of choice IMO. I ahve owned both nad both have challenges to them.

Glass

These are the most commonly available tanks IMO and are also more economical related to cost of materials and mass production of common sizes and shapes. They tend ot be durable and are available as reef ready models. All Glass Aquariums Brand has been around for a long time and are time tested and readly available.

These tanks are usually made of a glass that contains some Iron and because of this can have green tint. But these tanks are also very affordable. I purchased my 180 gallon for 600.00 with dual overflows 3 years ago. LAst spring I ordered my 270 in acylic to the tune of 1500.00. Glass is the less expensive route.

The downside is as the tanks go up in size they start to get very heavy. Weight was a factor in my desicion to get an acrylic tank because I had to carry it down a flight if stairs and round a corner with it. The other down side with glass is it is sealed with silicone which over time can become less dependable. But be ye not disuaded....... Glass is still a great choice!!!

Acylic

I already told you these tanks are more expensive!! The good thing is the tank is free from abberations caused by elements like iron and are very clear!! They weight significantly less than a glass tank of the same deminsions also. You can drill holes yourself (if you know what you're doing) to modify them for closed loops. They give you more DIY options They are also welded together through a chemicle process / sealant and are very strong!!

The downside is the cost of the aquarium, the ease that these can scratch (although you can buff these out), and poorly constructed tnks can show bowing in hte front! This is usually because the manufacturer did not brace the top properly when it was built.
__________________
Anacroporamademepoora
--Lifetime member of the "No Mud Club"
"No Rubber Helmet's Please"

[Mike]

Lets talk about the critical thought process behind system design

The last few installments have guided you through the some important aspects of this hobby. We talked about how important patience in this hobby is as well as how having patience can save you frustration in the end.

We discussed some of the factors that go into choosing a tank. Some of those things were the foot print of the tank (L*W*H) and the advantages of a wider tank versus a long and narrow tank as they related to surface area and other important options such as aquascaping.

We also discussed the differences between a reef ready system v Hang on over flows and the advantages / disadvantages. Included was the the advantages and disadvantages of the two most common tank building materials, Glass v. acrylic with the pro's / con's of each.

Now I would like to get you thinking about actually taking the time to design the system before you spend another dime! Remember when I talked about researching your equipment choices? Well this is the time when that is most critical.

At this point in your new hobby you have some decisions to make that will determine how you set the aquarium up and what equipment you buy will be a result if those decisions. I mentioned having an "idea" earlier. This idea is centered around what animals you really like and what you wnat to try to keep in your new aquarium. After you researched those lovely creatures you probably learned what they need to be happy and thrive in your aquarium. It is not enough really to just sustain the animals because they deserve more than that. You should have a higher goal in mind! you wnat them to thrive and perhaps even one day reproduce in some instances!!

A good example is a new aquarist who fell in love with the Blue Spot Jawfish . This is bar none an awsome fish and I know because at one point in my hobby life I housed three in a 180 witha deep sand bed and plenty of rubble rock. I had a DSB because I had researched that they need a deep subtrate to burrow into to make their homes. The Rubble rock was because th ereinforce teh interior of the there holes with this and also use it as a cover to protet themselves. So in order to have a jaw fish in your aquarium you must meet these requirements.

Another example could be that you are taken with what a good friend and avid hobbyist friend of mine calls, "Those Colored Sticks" refering ot Corals in the Acropora family . If it is an acropora tank you want the nthe book by Eric Boreman is a must read. Corals of the world by Vernon is also not a bad reference to have at your finger tips either. Acropora tanks or SPS as they are most often refered to by hobbyist and field experts need great water quality, appropriate lighting, random high levels of internal tank flow (not to be confused with the water returning from your sump), a stable water chemistry (Calcium, Alkalinity, Magnesium, pH, specific gravity, adn temperature) to name a few things. These tanks are IMO the most challenging to do and do well. I for one am an Acro Junky!! And have designed my new system to accomadate this passion of mine.

Success is most likely going to be a result of good planning on your part. Do not be afraid to try new things. Do not be afraid to come here and ask what size skimmer you might need for a given system. Never rate your skimer according to the amount of water you have in your aquarium and sump (if you have a sump) but instead look at itin terms of your expected bioload. I would advise that if you have a 180 gallon tank get a skimmer that is rated for at least 250 gallons to be safe. The skimmer may well do a 180 but what was the stocking level of the tank(s) it was tested on? There is a sticky on SKimmer reviews in the equipment forum and I will ask the moderators to move it here so it is avaialble. Lots of good information in it.

The next time I come back I will talk about what I believe is a sound process for planning water flow, using live rock, and getting into a good maintenance routine.

Mike
__________________
Anacroporamademepoora
--Lifetime member of the "No Mud Club"
"No Rubber Helmet's Please"

[Mike]

System design-Live rock
When I started my first tank Live rock was something that was pretty new to mainstream aquarist like myself. Working at a job paying 4.25 an hour I could not really afford to have hundred of pounds of live rock in my aquarium so I had what I could afford which wasn't much LOL. At 16 I had the coral skeleton thing going on mostly and lots of green slime Algae which I was told was a sign of good things by the LFS owner

Now days Live Rock Is a staple component of any new tank. Most good LFS stock it regularly and the best ones will order you the "Good Stuff" whenever you like. Live Rock comes two ways: Cured and Uncured. Cured Live rock is ready to go in your tank and is almost an instant biological filter. Please remember though that it is not an instant thing and nothing good ever happens fast in a reef tank.... Back on point now. The LFS owners have done the dirty work for you. They scrubbed all the dead sponges, peeled off the rotting Corals and bi-valves, scrubbed the dead macro Algae off, and stunk up their place so you wouldn't have to SO lets thanks them.....Thanks Guys!! Cured live rock naturally will cost you more because the LFS owner have had to sit on it a few weeks and have done all this work for you.

I like uncured live rock best because I have a twisted side (just kidding). I like it because I can control the parameters in the holding tank, do water changes to reduce the Ammonia spikes from all the decaying matter, and skim the water like a mad man to preserve as much life as I can on the rock. The tools I have always used were the tank I was setting up ) cured right in it bare bottom, three garbage cans of fresh salt water, and a new toilet brush ans double mint gum (for under my nose LOL). When I open the putrid smelling boxes all the rock goes into can 1 for a fast rinse and rough scrub with the new toilet brush. After the water is so rancid you cant see through it then its onto bucket two for agitation with mag drive pump to rinse the the rock well and give it another scrub. When we get to tub three I hand pick the rest of the obviously dying matter off and then it goes into the new tank for a few weeks of stenchfull curing!! once the rotten egg smell is gone It is pretty much done. The sand bed in this pic is from my old 120 gallon. It was set up with 90 pounds of Eva and Fiji rock and cured in the tank. The little orage things are spaghetti worms (beneficial detritus eaters) and the pic is but a portion of the sand bed.



Can I get X pounds per gallon?

My answer is NO! The old rule which is still used today talks about needing so many pounds per gallon. To me this is like saying 5 watts per gallon is adequate lighting over a reef tank. So does that statement mean I can use a 100 watt GE incandescent light over a 20 gallon tank? It is after all 5 watts per gallon right? Can you see where this is going?

Just like lighting, not all live rock is created equally and to choose live rock and use it correctly you must first think outside the rock and mainstream conventional wisdom.

In order for you to get the most out of your live rock you need to think of it not as pounds but in terms of surface area exposed to water motion. It is the water moving around and through the live rock that is most important here not simply "I have 100 pounds of live rock in my 100 gallon tank". If that is true you likely have a wall of rock and a lot of dead areas.... perhaps even some hair Algae as well.

The live rock we use helps inoculate the sand bed you have (if you're using one) with the micofauna and macro fauna that are critical in the nutrient reduction pathways of our aquariums. The live rock itself is a living biological filter as well but much of that filtration capacity is Dependant on water motion in and around it. With this in mind I will give you some reason why a rock is not a rock is not a rock when it comes to live rock

Remember that the density / porousness of the rock is critical in determining how efficient it will be. It has been known for some time that Atlantic live rock is more dense (and also illegal unless aqua cultured) than the rock that comes from the indo pacific regions. Indo pacific rock examples would be Fiji (the most popular) Marshall Island, and Tongan to name a few. Pacific rock tends to be lighter per a given volume of space than Caribbean or Atlantic rock. With this in mind ask yourself this question: If I stack 100 pounds of Fiji Rock next to 100 pounds of Caribbean rock which stack would likely be taller? If you think Fiji you're most likely going to be correct.

When you design your set up you should look at the tank and think about the flow through the live rock structure and work to keep it as open as you can. Keep the rock off the back of the aquarium if using live rock. The more flow that can get around it and through it the better the results will be.

I would suggest hand picking the rock and most LFS will allow that. You can build support structures from PVC to act as a frame work and reduce the amount of live rock you need for the tank. 100 pounds of live rock in 100 gallon tank is not going to filter the water any better than 65 pounds would if the water cannot circulate around it

I guess what I am saying is you only need enough live rock to create the aquascape that you planned out and not what the 1 pound per gallon rule is telling you........

Internal circulation methods will be next.....

Mike
__________________
Anacroporamademepoora
--Lifetime member of the "No Mud Club"
"No Rubber Helmet's Please"

[Mike]

Going with the Flow

I will go on the record with this saying that I have always been considered somewhat of an eccentric where water motion in concerned. I really got afflicted with the high flow bug after a dive in St. Thomas. While bell diving 20 feet down with group of 9 other tourist I paid close attention to what I was feeling. My body swayed back nad forth constantly and if not for the chained rail that the tour company had installed in the tour area I would not have been able to maintain an up right position. I listened to what my body was telling me during my hour long experience. The water motion was not always from the same direction and the force varried as well. But one thing was constant..... I was always moving with the power of the ocean.

When I design a system I remember that experience. It taught me something about what water motion is really like on a reef, even if only for a short while. I like to have lots of water motion. I like it to be forceful at times but mostly I want it to be random and multi-directional.

One of the best water flow systems I used was a noisey surge tank made from a toilet flange and float using a steril-lite container drilled for a 2 inch outlet. It dumped around 4.5-5 gallons every 45 seconds into the tank through a 2" inlet. The water motion was spectacular!! I like to call it my Ghetto Wave Box. I countered this with a pair of 6080 streams to create vortices at random and push the wave up as it crested near the other side and then back. The flow was always there but had peaks and troughs (just like my experience on the dive).

So when you're thinking about flow think about it in terms of randomness. Although it might be nearly impossible to get true random flow you need to try your best to have the flow bouncing from many areas in the tank. Converging jets of water will create some chaos which is what is most desirable.

You can use closed loops which are pumps that are connected to the tank itself and draw water directly out then redistribute it through multiple outlets in the tank.

You can also use powerheads that sit inside the tank and move water from varied points.

Each has advantages and disadvantages. I have used both methods myself and at this point I prefer Tunze Stream pumps related to the more holes you drill in the tank the more failure points you will have for leakage and breaking.

I am going to sign off this thread now and hope that this has been of some use. Equipment is best left to the equipment forums and you can ask those questions on an as needed basis.

The main point here is to get you to think about actually designing the system instead of putting a bunch of random things together and "Voila" I have a tank and then in a few months leaving the hobby because of frustration that could have been avoided with some solid planning. This hobby gets expensive and there are lots of cost that are ongoing. The hobby is also wonderful though and worth the investment of both time and money.

Happy Reefing,

Mike
__________________
Anacroporamademepoora
--Lifetime member of the "No Mud Club"
"No Rubber Helmet's Please"

[Mike]

Water Movement Clarified

Water movement / motion can be easily defined here. Simply put it is taking water that would otherwise be static and placing it in motion. Earlier we started down the path of the methods we commonly use to accomplish this task. I mentioned a couple of ways, namely power heads and closed loops.

So lets take a closer real life look at distributing water / moving it around in our aquariums. For this I am just going to:

Water My Lawn

I have about 80 feet in my front yard that I need to cover to make sure that it stays happy and green during the summer. I am not sure what my water meter will put out but for the sake of this discussion lets say it will allow 5 gallons/minute. Now I know I have five gallons a minute to use anyway I want to! I can hand water it with a high pressure nozzle and a hose at a high velocity with great force and shoot the water a great distance, I can use a lawn sprinker and move it every so often, or I can divide the 5gpm up among 5 sprinkler nozzles that overlap one another. The latter would give me the best coverage and use the water avaialble more efficiently to cover the area I need to and keep my yard green.

In your tank it is not so much about how many GPH you have in flow but rather how well you disperse that energy in the tank. If I take one 10 thousand GPH powerhead (see Johnson 40 hoarse outboad motor) and put it in my tank it will move 10K gallons of water and do it all over the floor in one big jet!! Now that is an extreme example but a needed picture if for no other reason than it is a funny thought! If on the other hand I take the 10K gallons I want to have and divide that up amoung several sources then I will have constant motion at all times from variable directions and not one rush of water blasting the flesh off of the very animals it was put in the tank to sustain.

Water motion is about moving large amounts of water and not about the velocity that you move it at. That being said we all know that most powerheads and pumps we buy are rated at a certain GPH that is produced by an Impeller turning so many times a minute. In a closed loop you buy at larger extenal motor (powerhead LOL) but the principles are still the same. With the closed loop you can disperse the output from the pump, lets call it 5000 gallons an hours through maybe 4 outlets giving each a rating of 1250 GPH. The trick is aiming them at one another to cause 1250 gallons an hour of water in the tank to be moved by each or even more water being moved than expected. Getting it into every area so nothingis static and all the water is moving around, giving you a way to transport nutrients to and from the Corals as well as enhancing gas exchange.

My surge tank would roll the water from the bottom to the top everytime it discharged turning it much like a roto-tiller turns the earth. That is what I mean when I talk about moving water. Its not the speed but the volume you move. This is why the Wave Box is such a wonderful thing and surge tanks rule although they are noisey
__________________
Anacroporamademepoora
--Lifetime member of the "No Mud Club"
"No Rubber Helmet's Please"

[Mike]

Algea happens sometimes

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Algea blooms are something every reefer is going to get. The worst times are when the system is first set up or if you have an explosion of nutrients released en mass into the system. It happens to all of us even those of use who would be considered advanced aquarist / hobbyist.

You can compare this to so many things really. A good example is "All babies crawl before they walk and all babies fall when they learn to walk"

This stuff happens to every hobbyist. Sometimes we don't know why or we cannot see the reasons behind the set back but if you look deep they are there.

Most Reefers know the reasons for algea bloom. It is simple really Nutrients!! If you are not recycling nutrients and removing them then problems can occur down the road. Sometimes the cause is insidious. By that it may be that you are inadvertantly adding nutrients in the juices of the mysis shrimp you are feeding without knowing it. Maybe you had a low oygen level in the tank during an unknown power outage while you were at work that caused bacterial deaths and thus altered the way nutrients are processed in the system. The list of reasons is as varied as the people they happen to but you do have some recourse when it does happen.

Everyone who sets up a new tank gets a diatom bloom (well most do) which is that nasty golden brown algea that we all hate. It last from two to four weeks on average and is usually self limiting unless you're using water that is contaminated with silicates and phosphates.

This is one reason why most aquarist employ a Reverse Osmosis Unit and most have a De-ionization unit as well. The later removes the pesky silicates and other ions that may feed this type of bloom. We call these R/O DI on most web sites and in most publications.

That is the first line of defense!! Making sure your source water is up to par!!

HAve you ever seen this post?

My parameters are all good!! No Nitrate / Phosphate / Silicate / etc............ but I have this hair algea bloom!! I cannot figure it out!! HELP!!

This person has a nutrient problem!! It might be that there is not adequate pathways to remove the nutrients or the input is moer than the system can handle on its own. This is the person who is testing low on everything or "undetectable" because the algea mass is recycling the nutrients that are available in the tank! This is a hard one to get your arms around for newer hobbyist but it is true no less!

The person has some option. The first is to limit the input of improve the quality of what is used. Live food degrade far less than prepared things and do not have the preservatives in them or the concentrated nutrients that are contained in the packing juices when we thaw them. For some people cultivating live food is not an option though. For most aquarist prepared foods are what is available and convienent. If you are using these preparation then thaw them first. Drain off the juices and pat with a paper towel before adding them to the tank!! Tis will reduce unwanted nutrients entering or nutrients that you did not plan on processing.

The second thing you can do is increase the frequency of the water changes you are doing. Notice I did not say size just frequency. Maybe do them more often for a while to reduce the nutrient loads. I have used this method with great results in the past when I had HAir Algea of Doom in my acro tank.

Another thing people are using now is phosphate removes. These are great things!! Like most plants Algea love Phosphorus!! Get rid of it or reduce it and you will see a reduction in the algea. This is just a band aid though so remember to keep up on the water changes and check the source water for contaminates.

I have two TDS (Total Dissolved Solids) meters that I use to check my R/O with. When they start to get above 0.0 (pure water) then I change the membrane simple as that.

You can scrub the rocks to remove unwanted algea. Set your skimmer (if you have one) to skim wetter to remove more nutrients (just clean the collection cup and neck daily and you should do this anyway), use activated carbon to absorb compunds, add grazers like snails, hermits, emerals, algea blennies and bristle toothe tangs like the Kole Eye to get that stuff of your rocks and glass.

Above all stay on it!! It will go away. In the end you will need to evaluate why the problem occured once it is under control and take steps to re-design the system so it does not happen again!!! Happy Weeding

Mike
__________________
Anacroporamademepoora
--Lifetime member of the "No Mud Club"
"No Rubber Helmet's Please"

[Mike]

The information contained in the first several post was written nearly 4 years ago. Much of what is in those entries is still applicable today. Currently there are a lot of exciting things going on in the hobby. People are acheiving great results with ProBiotic methods (using bacteria nutrient export as well as bacterioplankton), New skimmers, Low voltage pumps and even low voltage LED lighting capable of acheiving Metal Halide results!

The LED scene is what I am interested in most. We are lucky enough to have the LED Guru with us. He forum is called "Ask Evil" and I encourage any of you (new and experienced) to talk with him and read the threads in his forum if considering LED's.

I have pretty much always used Halides (once I could afford them) as my primary lighitng source. With energy cost going up though I have been searching for something better. I tried T5's but for me it was not the right fit so I went back to Halides. I have 1300 watts of halide over my 270 gallon Acropora reef. They suck a lot of juice and generate a lot of radiant heat. That heat is transferred directly to the water and has to be dealt with via a chiller. This is another consequence of using lights that generate a lot of heat. If I am not mistaked the heat is transferred to the water via infared light. Since Red light is not really advantageous to those of us keeping coral reef aquariums the ability to lose it is a nice thing.

I am going to try an LED array and if all goes well I will be posting my results here on this thread for the new reefers in particular.

[Bella127]

Now this is a write up ! Great job Mike.