FIltrations techniques

[farsight32]

I have been doing some reading, and I have found that there are multiple methods that can be employed to keep your water quality up. I have read about the usefulness of purigen, protein skimmers, UV gizmos, reactors, carbon filters, and many more varied items. As you can see, the vast array of things people have said should go in a reef tank has led me to believe that there is more than one right answer to the question "how can I keep my water quality high to maintain a healthy reef system?"
I built my own setup, and I am in the process of cycling. While I have been waiting so (im)patiently for this process, I have begun to wonder if I am under filtering my system. I have a 29 gallon biocube HQI. Under the stand I have two standard ten gallon aquariums that serve as my sump. The entire system is gravity fed from my display to the firtst tank, then into the second tank. I have a Syncra 1.5 pump running at full blast for my return (which according to the box traveling up 33 inches means it is pushing 280 gph). I have one Korilla 425 in my display, bringing my circulation to about 705 gph. I have a filter sock, and a five gallon section that serves as a fuge (cheato algae). I have 42 pounds of liverock, with room for more. Finally, I have a 35 gallon mini skimmer running form my sump.
Sorry for the excessive background, but with the system I currently have in place, do I have enough filtration in place to safely keep a reef? I am trying to do all my homework on the front end so that I don't end up finding out my system is flawed by killing fish. Should I add more liverock? (Is more necessarily better?) Should I use purigen? Should I use some other system that I haven't yet read about?
I realize that I can ask ten different people how to set up a reef tank and get ten completely different answers, but I am hoping that someone could share the secret to their success. Thanks for all the help, you guys have given fantastic information in my other posts.

 

[snakeblitz33]

Simple is good...
Sounds like you have a great start already. You have to kind of see what works for your tank. Each tank is different. You have a pretty good base start. Some tanks require more filtration than others - based on fish bioload, coral feeding schedules and fish feeding ... There's a pretty good visual aid that most intermediate and advanced hobbyists do to gauge what their system needs...
cyano = too little fitration, too little water movement
diatoms = silicate in water column
hair algae = too much nutrients, not enough water changes, inadequate filtration
Coralline = adequate filtration, good chemistry, good balance
coralline + coral growth = established system, good water quality, well balanced regardless if it has some green algaes or not.
Basically, let the tank develop on its own. If you start seeing signs of poor water quality, increase filtration and/or more water changes.

 

[farsight32]

Thanks for the help, that is an awesome way to look at it. I am familiar with all of those items except cyano. I looked up some pictures and it led to a follow up question. Visually, is the difference between cyano and coralline the red hue. Will the cyano always look a slimy dark red, and the coralline a more solid light purple? I would hate to mistake one for the other.

 

[snakeblitz33]

Quote:
Originally Posted by farsight32 http:///t/393201/filtrations-techniques#post_3496233
Thanks for the help, that is an awesome way to look at it. I am familiar with all of those items except cyano. I looked up some pictures and it led to a follow up question. Visually, is the difference between cyano and coralline the red hue. Will the cyano always look a slimy dark red, and the coralline a more solid light purple? I would hate to mistake one for the other.
In person there is almost no way you can mistake one for the other.
Cyano is not hard... like you said, it's slimy - and can often be easily blown off of rocks and substrate. It will form a thick mat if it gets bad enough.
Coralline algae is hard algae - purples, pinks, greens, reds... it has to be scraped off of the glass regularly (if you don't want it on the glass) It lets you know that your tank is well balanced and your chemistry is right. It also means that your phosphate levels are low and in balance.

 

[farsight32]

Well SnakeBlitz, you have been dead on from what my more experienced friends have told me. Thanks for that.
Is it unusual to get algae blooming before the cycle is complete? My Amonia dropped from .5 mg/L to .25mg/L. I have never shown any nitrites. This morning I noticed brown algae on some of my rocks. I had been told by my LFS that the algae was your sign that the cycle is complete, but it is clearly not complete because I am still showing amonia. I though maybe my test kit was off, but they got the exact same readings as me. Is it just that I was misinformed about algae signaling the end of my cycle?

 

[novahobbies]

Yes, you were misinformed a little. In EVERY cycle I have performed, I have gotten some algae (be it diatoms, cyano, or even plain old glass fuzz) before the cycle was truly over. Usually in the last 10 days or so of the cycle, but very definitely BEFORE the cycle was completed. Most often it will be diatoms...and a "brown dusting on the rocks" is almost certainly a diatom bloom.

 

[novahobbies]

Quote:
Originally Posted by SnakeBlitz33 http:///t/393201/filtrations-techniques#post_3496230
Simple is good...
Sounds like you have a great start already. You have to kind of see what works for your tank. Each tank is different. You have a pretty good base start. Some tanks require more filtration than others - based on fish bioload, coral feeding schedules and fish feeding ... There's a pretty good visual aid that most intermediate and advanced hobbyists do to gauge what their system needs...
cyano = too little fitration, too little water movement
diatoms = silicate in water column
hair algae = too much nutrients, not enough water changes, inadequate filtration
Coralline = adequate filtration, good chemistry, good balance
coralline + coral growth = established system, good water quality, well balanced regardless if it has some green algaes or not.
Basically, let the tank develop on its own. If you start seeing signs of poor water quality, increase filtration and/or more water changes.
I just want to comment on how very true this is. Not to steal Mark Callahan's phrase, but every tank has its own personality based on size, rockwork, lighting, filtration, and bioload. Part of the fun in this hobby is learning how to recognize little "quirks" in the little pocket'o'ocean we each keep.
Also, I would point out that even though diatoms do indicate silicates......they are also an almost ubiquitous first-grrowth algae for cycling. Most dry sands and base rock has silicate in it that the diatoms will absorb, so it's very common to see this a few weeks into your cycle. You might even call it PART of your cycle...when the diatoms die back, you know that most of the silicates have been used up.