I need some input and advice..Please

flower

flower

Well-Known Member
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Posiden http:///forum/thread/379734/i-need-some-input-and-advice-please#post_3301915
I may get flamed for this thought but here goes.
 
You need to be careful with this idea since you have a 6 year old tank. I know you said you induce storms on your rocks but, Have you ever messed with the sand bed? Doing such a thing now could cause some problems however, that IMO would mean that's the problem. Maybe you could try and vacuum the sand bed a little bit at a time during your weekly water change?
 
Again this is just a thought based on my experiences. I think the sand bed needs to be molested pretty frequently in any tank. I know you have a fish but, Does he goes all the way to the bottom of your sand bed?
 
Hi,
 
I just saw this post, sorry I missed it. I have pretty good sized golden headed sleeper goby, LOL...there is not one grain of sand my buddy has left unturned. There is absolutely no fauna left in there that he hasn't had for lunch. My sand is piled in all kinds of places but it as clean as new snow.
 
posiden

posiden

Active Member
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Flower http:///forum/thread/379734/i-need-some-input-and-advice-please/20#post_3301986
 
 
Hi,
 
I just saw this post, sorry I missed it. I have pretty good sized golden headed sleeper goby, LOL...there is not one grain of sand my buddy has left unturned. There is absolutely no fauna left in there that he hasn't had for lunch. My sand is piled in all kinds of places but it as clean as new snow.
 
OK. I have never owned a goby so I just didn't know. Playing with the sand bed worked for me but, like I said I don't have any sand sifters in my tank.
 
Did you just turn those PH's up to the surface to help the ph issue? I only wonder cause as mentioned eairler about surface movement and trates.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Posiden http:///forum/thread/379734/i-need-some-input-and-advice-please/20#post_3302008
 
 
OK. I have never owned a goby so I just didn't know. Playing with the sand bed worked for me but, like I said I don't have any sand sifters in my tank.
 
Did you just turn those PH's up to the surface to help the ph issue? I only wonder cause as mentioned eairler about surface movement and trates.
 
Hi,
 
All about my 90g reef, up and running 6 years.
 
I have two #3s and One #4 Koralia pointed at the surface, also one of the output tubes has a guide and it is pointed at the surface, and my skimmer has an overflow box that also moves the surface water.
 
Deep on the tank I have a #2 in the back pushing water trough a cave and a spray bar vertically set to push water through the back to make sure nothing settles on the rocks way in the back.
 
I clean the two canisters once each month and replace the carbon each time.
 
I have a CUC of aprox 50 hermit crabs, 20 snails and two serpent stars.
 
I have 8 fish:
4.5 inch Hippo Tang
3.5 inch Kole tang
3 inch Lawnmower Blenny
2.5 and 2 inch Perc clowns
2 inch Orchid Fridmans Dottyback
4.5 inch Sleeper Goby
or: black">2 inch lemonpeel dwarf Angelfish
 
Corals:
GSP
Zoa neon dragon eyes and Eagle eyes)
Mushrooms (True blue and Green striped)
Hammer frag
Bubble coral frag
3 small Kenya tree coral
Red Sea Fan 10 inch
Clove polyps
 
Inverts:
2 Cleaner shrimp
Diadema Urchin
Orange tree sponge
Sabre anemone
 
Equipment:
2 Canister filters 305 Fluval (70g capacity) and a Cascade for 100g
A 2.5g in tank refugium with live sand mixed with Fiji mud, some small rocks and Red Gracalliia Macroalgae
ATO with a 10g holding tank under the cabinet w/utility pump and hose
Titanium 400w heater
Coralife 250 Skimmer
Coralife Elite 2 X 175w MH with 2 X 96w Actinic
e="color: black">48" Moonlight strip
2 fans
Canopy with the hood portion removed, lights are on a pulley system and hover over the canopy not in it.
RO 5 stage unit under my Kitchen sink with a TDS monitor on it.
 
Aprox 75 to 80 pounds of live rock and a 2.5 inch Live sand bed (goby arranges it into different depths)
I use API test kits, both a month old; Saltwater master kit and the Reef Master kit
I use Instant Ocean Reef Crystals
I put Reef builder by Seachem 1/4 tsp per 3g of RO top off water to maintain Alk.
Tank Temp remains between 80 and 82 degrees
 
Today’s test results:
PH: 8.0 (can't seem to get it above this would like 8.3)
Nitrates: 20
Calcium: 400
KH: 8
Phosphates: 0
Ammonia: 0
Nitrites: 0
 
Until yesterday I was dosing vodka 0.3ml
I feed the fish one thawed and rinsed cube of Mysis shrimp + one algae sheet or gel pack of omnivore IO food. Per day. I add Zooplex for the corals 2xs each week.
 
LOL…I think that covers everything.
 
xcali1985

xcali1985

Active Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Flower http:///forum/thread/379734/i-need-some-input-and-advice-please#post_3301984
 
 
Hi,
 
Wouldn't the skimmer be a better option since it draws out yuck as well? That way I won't have to rig another thing to the tank. Space is a problem for me.
 
Instead of using my ATO tank for refilling, I have a 13g tub. I am going to put the hose from the ATO and pump in that, so when I wet skim and the water line drops, it will auto refill the exact proper amount..When the 3g swap out that I want to do is complete, stop wet skimming and replace my hose and pump back into the ATO holding tank. My 13g tub will hold 4 days worth of new mixed saltwater for changes.
 
I won't be a constant water change but it can at least be a daily one. This way I won't have to worry about SG getting to high or changing. Any evaporation will still be handled with the ATO unit. After I get my tires, and I'm sure I have the cash I will purchase another hose and pump so I won't have to putz with swapping them from one tub to another.
 
So that's my plan, what do you think?
 
Only problem I see with this is that the salinity will rise over time. Because there will be evaporation along with the wet skim. Lets say in a perfect environment the skimmer skims 2 gallons per 1 gallon of evaporation. If your auto top off will be used to put the level back at normal levels then you will replace 1 gallon of evaporation with 1 gallon of saltwater. along with the 2 gallons of skimmed salt water. Won't be an immediate rise but after 3-4 times this happens will start to climb fast.
 
If you use the method of leaving the ATO for freshwater and use an independant system to control the water change then it wont matter because lets say you inquire the say scenario. 2 gallons out with 1 gallon evaporated. Since the Out is at the same speed, say 1 drop per 10 secs then it has nothing to do with evap. 1 drop out 1 drop in. You will still inquire evaporation, but as the levels drop it should kick in, since your not putting more in than took out.
 
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
 
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Xcali1985 http:///forum/thread/379734/i-need-some-input-and-advice-please/20#post_3302196
Only problem I see with this is that the salinity will rise over time. Because there will be evaporation along with the wet skim. Lets say in a perfect environment the skimmer skims 2 gallons per 1 gallon of evaporation. If your auto top off will be used to put the level back at normal levels then you will replace 1 gallon of evaporation with 1 gallon of saltwater. along with the 2 gallons of skimmed salt water. Won't be an immediate rise but after 3-4 times this happens will start to climb fast.
 
If you use the method of leaving the ATO for freshwater and use an independant system to control the water change then it wont matter because lets say you inquire the say scenario. 2 gallons out with 1 gallon evaporated. Since the Out is at the same speed, say 1 drop per 10 secs then it has nothing to do with evap. 1 drop out 1 drop in. You will still inquire evaporation, but as the levels drop it should kick in, since your not putting more in than took out.
 
Hi,
 
I see what you mean…I plan on doing the wet skim method of a water change in about 4 hours, as I supervise it. The ATO will be connected to the new tub of saltwater, so they will not be simultaneously running. I will check the SG on the DT and in the tub of change water to make sure they match before I begin.
Once I’m finished I will reset the ATO with the RO tub and all should be fine. The amount of evaporation in 4 hours should be a very tiny amount if any. I could scoop out a cup of saltwater and let the ATO replace a spike with RO but I don’t think it will ever come to that.
 
I can’t just set up a system of continues change, which would be very nice but really expensive in salt mix. Instead I was just planning a small water change of 3g each day and use the skimmer to draw out the water to swap out.
 
My water change method right now: Once each week I must remove the canopy, raise the lights on the pulley to change the water, turn off the ATO unit. I then have to dip the old water out and then either dip the new back in or remove the pump and hose from the ATO and use it to replace the water removed, 14g is the tub size. Twice each month I also clean a canister and replace the carbon so each is serviced once a month.
 
What I plan to do: By using the skimmer I can let it drain into a jug for easy removal, by wet skimming it also will draw out some extra yuck and not just water. I will have my new saltwater tub next to the tank and I’m buying another pump and hose tomorrow. I will place the hose into the DT. When I want to do the change, after making sure the SG matches, I will plug in the new pump to the ATO outlet, disconnecting the RO pump, then as the skimmer draws out old water the new saltwater will be slowly pumped back in. When my jug is full, turn down the skimmer, replace the plug for the ATO tank pump, and the DT is as if I didn’t change a thing except hopefully nitrates will drop and whatever the skimmer removed will be gone and my water pristine. I plan to replace 3g of water each day as opposed to 14g a week.
 
 
I was also planning to keep the canister maintenance as scheduled, unless you think changing out the carbon more than once a month is needed.
 
posiden

posiden

Active Member
I would bump you KH a bit, I like it at 10.
 
I would try either, cleaning you canister hoses or replacing them with new ones.
 
posiden

posiden

Active Member
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Flower http:///forum/thread/379734/i-need-some-input-and-advice-please/20#post_3302414
Hi,
 
Hoses??? Why, do they hoard nitrates? My KH is usually at 11, I must have missed a dose last time I add RO to the tub.
I would guess that they are pretty fuzzy and slimy on the inside. You mentioned you haven't cleaned them right? When I ran my canister,(2 maybe 3 months) I was shocked to see what had grown on the inside of them.
 
You did have a drop in SG, maybe that's what caused the drop in KH?
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Posiden http:///forum/thread/379734/i-need-some-input-and-advice-please/20#post_3302439
 
I would guess that they are pretty fuzzy and slimy on the inside. You mentioned you haven't cleaned them right? When I ran my canister,(2 maybe 3 months) I was shocked to see what had grown on the inside of them.
 
You did have a drop in SG, maybe that's what caused the drop in KH?
Hi,
 
Well I suppose it can't hurt. Next time I take te canopy off to clean the Power heads I will do them as well. Thanks.
 
gemmy

gemmy

Active Member
I clean my tubes for my canister once a month and replace a carbon bag every 2 weeks. It works for me.
 
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