Want Tips from +10 year old reef veterans Please .

ivasawajin

ivasawajin

Member
i started this hobby in summer 2010 . and now i have a 9 month old 550G reef . i read many books and researched and changed 3 tanks and done many things to undrestand the reef aquarium . but i'm on super speed mode . i dont have much experiece and running and giant 550G reef tank need more than just knowledge . i need tips on how to maintain a huge reef system without crashing it .
 
bang guy

bang guy

Moderator
I've maintained a few larger reef tanks and I'm significantly older than 10

Any specific questions?
You can start by laying it all out for me, equipment, sump size, waterflow, lighting, etc.
 
ivasawajin

ivasawajin

Member
Display tank : 3 meters long and i have 2 overflows on each side on the tank.
light : i have 2 Metal halide + T5 fixtures . 5 MH bulbs , 150w , 2 are 14000K and 3 are 20,000K .
circulation : i have 2 max jet 8000 return pumps with accelerator on each end . i have 6 power heads , 3 on each side on a different direction . 2 1500GPH powerheads towards the water surface on each side for better gas exchange .
around 250-280KG of live rock and 4 inch DPB .
sump : 170cm long , 2 550 phospan reactor with GFO. 2 UV light . OZone , 3 skimmers , 3 150phosban for carbon . a 1 meter long refuge . huge amounts of bio media like Seachems Matrix in the sump bed . other media like phosguard and Purigen . 3 400W heaters and a chiller . My PH is around 8.1 to 8.3 and my temp is 26.5C to 27C . my other parameters and good and stable . i have 28 fishes and 10 of them are tangs .
the new 9 month old tank is so far so good but i dont want to crash it cuz i spend too much $$$$$ on it to destroy it .
i also have a PH probe and an ORP prob for ozone ( i use ozone once or twice a week ) .
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Largest tank I ever had was a 90g...equal to a 10g compared to your tank.
Macroalgae is the stuff that takes care of the parameters without much effort. You remove phosphates and nitrates as you remove the overgrowth. Since you have the sump system, you can have a good sized area designated as a refugium. A couple of inches of sand, a few rocks and a regular light over it, and the macroalgae would be very happy to grow for you...100% natural, and will work better than anything you are using now. You could get rid of the phoshate reactor, and not need any Purigen or Phosguard. The overgrowth you harvest can be fed to the tangs, just get the green or red macros they love to eat.
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Flower http:///t/394168/want-tips-from-10-year-old-reef-veterans-please#post_3508059
Largest tank I ever had was a 90g...equal to a 10g compared to your tank.
Macroalgae is the stuff that takes care of the parameters without much effort. You remove phosphates and nitrates as you remove the overgrowth. Since you have the sump system, you can have a good sized area designated as a refugium. A couple of inches of sand, a few rocks and a regular light over it, and the macroalgae would be very happy to grow for you...100% natural, and will work better than anything you are using now. You could get rid of the phoshate reactor, and not need any Purigen or Phosguard. The overgrowth you harvest can be fed to the tangs, just get the green or red macros they love to eat.
90g x 10 = 900g tank. 550g/90g = 6.1 times larger. Not exactly equal. PEZ, help me out here. lol
Macro is great stuff - harvesting it out of a refugium and feeding only a small portion back to the tank would be beneficial. Strong lights help growth drastically.
The problem with just relying on macroalgae to take care of everything for you is that over time you have detritus build up in the sand and in the sump and deep within the rocks. You absolutely have to periodically remove this buildup out of the rocks and sump through proper water changes. Sand can be maintained easily with biological activity - such as introducing four or five cups of "old" sand from another hobbyists tank every six months to a year for your sandbed to remain biologically stable and active.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by SnakeBlitz33 http:///t/394168/want-tips-from-10-year-old-reef-veterans-please#post_3508074
90g x 10 = 900g tank. 550g/90g = 6.1 times larger. Not exactly equal. PEZ, help me out here. lol
Macro is great stuff - harvesting it out of a refugium and feeding only a small portion back to the tank would be beneficial. Strong lights help growth drastically.
The problem with just relying on macroalgae to take care of everything for you is that over time you have detritus build up in the sand and in the sump and deep within the rocks. You absolutely have to periodically remove this buildup out of the rocks and sump through proper water changes. Sand can be maintained easily with biological activity - such as introducing four or five cups of "old" sand from another hobbyists tank every six months to a year for your sandbed to remain biologically stable and active.
I wasn't trying for an exact measure, but just commenting on the size of a 500+ tank to care for compared to a 90g..so I don't need Pez. I have a calculator if I really wanted to be exact. I know you were just kidding around and making light....LOL...see the smile

Anyway...I disagree about the lighting...strong lights will cause slime algae build-up, like what you get on your algae scrubber. The beauty of macroalgae is that you don't have to scrape off the slime build-up once a week like you do on a scrubber. The refugium thrives without a bunch of work to keep it going, I have never heard of anyone "cleaning" a refugium, just harvest (remove the overgrowth) the macros.
 
snakeblitz33

snakeblitz33

Well-Known Member
Only real way that I know of to keep a tank going is just pure husbandry / maintenance. You can't really leave a tank along and just feed the fish - otherwise your setting yourself up for disaster. Do your water changes, fix your chemistry and nutrient problems, clean out the detritus and clean your skimmer regularly. Harvest your macros and enjoy. lol
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by IvasawaJin http:///t/394168/want-tips-from-10-year-old-reef-veterans-please#post_3508175
it was just a figure of speech .
and what does "Overgrowth" means exaclty .
and my Aitapsia problem is getting outa hand . i used red sea's aitapsia X but they are too many in places outa reach witha needle . any advice ?
Agree..Peppermint shrimp are the best aptasia eaters...zap what you can with Joes juice or aptasia X and release the peppermints....I put 5 in my 56g, and I no longer have any aptasia, the great thing about the shrimp is that they will eat leftover food the fish miss, besides the aptasia, which helps to keep the tank nice and clean.
Macroalgae grows like any plant, it needs fertilizer to feed on...in mascroalgae that is the nitrates (NO3) and phosphates (PO4). When the plants grow too abundant, we trim them back and remove the extra (called harvesting) you can give away the extra, feed some to your tangs, and most of it toss out. The macros will continue to grow, and as it does, it absorbs all the NO3 and PO4 from the water leaving it pristine for the fish and corals to be happy..
The copepods, isopods, snails, and amphipods all like the macros and are benificial to your reef system. It's a natural saltwater ecosystem so it's safe. Some macros go sexual, such a grape caulerpa, and it can make the tank look like milk, some can break up and clog your pumps, such as the problem I had with Chaeto (others had no problems with it)...there are lots of macros to choose from that don't create a problem so do research before you decide on what to add, if you decide to go that route.
 
ivasawajin

ivasawajin

Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by SnakeBlitz33 http:///t/394168/want-tips-from-10-year-old-reef-veterans-please#post_3508229
Only real way that I know of to keep a tank going is just pure husbandry / maintenance. You can't really leave a tank along and just feed the fish - otherwise your setting yourself up for disaster. Do your water changes, fix your chemistry and nutrient problems, clean out the detritus and clean your skimmer regularly. Harvest your macros and enjoy. lol
I Agree , you need to take care of your tank if you dont wanna crash it . i just dont knwo how to remove crap from mmy sumps floor .
Marine Plants are very rare here . I NEVER seen a Chaeto in my life . and i never seen a pepermint shrimp either . i have to search the entire city for shrimps .
 
beaslbob

beaslbob

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by IvasawaJin http:///t/394168/want-tips-from-10-year-old-reef-veterans-please#post_3508258
I Agree , you need to take care of your tank if you dont wanna crash it . i just dont knwo how to remove crap from mmy sumps floor .
Marine Plants are very rare here . I NEVER seen a Chaeto in my life . and i never seen a pepermint shrimp either . i have to search the entire city for shrimps .
Well with the understanding I only have 8 years in a much smaller tank let me give you my "overall" ideas.
1) balance out the tank with plant life like macro algae or turf algae.
2) use the diy two part method to maintain calcium, alk, and magnesium. (do a google search)
While it is true there are few true marine plants the ocean is full of macro algaes of various types. Chaetomorphia is one for that looks like one of the metal wire mesh pot scrubbers. It just grow to whatever size and shape of the container.
Another option is to grow common turf algae on screens in what is called a algae turf scrubber. Drs. Adey and Loveland's the dynamic aquarium explained that but it is kinda technical and boreing.
The overall idea is you can balance out the system to the point where ammonia/nitrates, phosphates are unmeasureable regardless of what else is going on. Plus, stability is enhanced because the plant algae actually prefers to consume ammonia over nitrates. So if something goes bump in the night, the algae consumes any resulting ammonia preventing dangerous tank crashes. Plus the algae will also consume some toxins like copper as it sucks in the nitrates and phosphates.
Once you get the tank thriving with no display nusiance algaes or cyano, the tank can basically (but not totally) takes care of itself.
But you probably will have to maintain calcium.alk. and magnesium with inexpensive chemicals (calcium chloride, baking soda, magnesium chloride, and epson salts). Hence the diy two part.
Aptasia can be a problem. Mine died off with less feeding. I have heard killing the lights helps also but I never tried that. I did try a kalk paste (Picking lime) but couldn't fully control it and calcium did bump up to high levels for a few weeks.
I've never maintained such a large system so those are just over-all ideas.
I hope in Iran you have these types of things so I have been helpful.
But it's really just my.
.02
ps Guy's old tank ran for years and years over a decade and was awesome. Paul_b on some of these boards has had a tank running for 40 years.
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by IvasawaJin http:///t/394168/want-tips-from-10-year-old-reef-veterans-please#post_3508258
I Agree , you need to take care of your tank if you dont wanna crash it . i just dont knwo how to remove crap from mmy sumps floor .
Marine Plants are very rare here . I NEVER seen a Chaeto in my life . and i never seen a pepermint shrimp either . i have to search the entire city for shrimps .
My friend...you can get ANYTHING on-line!
Golf coast ecosystems has all kinds of choices for macros..SWF.com as the peppermint shrimp. I think on-line is the best way to stock your tank becuase you get a 14 day guarantee...in a LFS when you walk out of the store, you are on your own.
 
ivasawajin

ivasawajin

Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Flower http:///t/394168/want-tips-from-10-year-old-reef-veterans-please#post_3508319
My friend...you can get ANYTHING on-line!
Golf coast ecosystems has all kinds of choices for macros..SWF.com as the peppermint shrimp. I think on-line is the best way to stock your tank becuase you get a 14 day guarantee...in a LFS when you walk out of the store, you are on your own.
No site ships to iran . the damn country is banned and sanctioned from the modern world .
 
ivasawajin

ivasawajin

Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by beaslbob http:///t/394168/want-tips-from-10-year-old-reef-veterans-please#post_3508274
Well with the understanding I only have 8 years in a much smaller tank let me give you my "overall" ideas.
1) balance out the tank with plant life like macro algae or turf algae.
2) use the diy two part method to maintain calcium, alk, and magnesium. (do a google search)
While it is true there are few true marine plants the ocean is full of macro algaes of various types. Chaetomorphia is one for that looks like one of the metal wire mesh pot scrubbers. It just grow to whatever size and shape of the container.
Another option is to grow common turf algae on screens in what is called a algae turf scrubber. Drs. Adey and Loveland's the dynamic aquarium explained that but it is kinda technical and boreing.
The overall idea is you can balance out the system to the point where ammonia/nitrates, phosphates are unmeasureable regardless of what else is going on. Plus, stability is enhanced because the plant algae actually prefers to consume ammonia over nitrates. So if something goes bump in the night, the algae consumes any resulting ammonia preventing dangerous tank crashes. Plus the algae will also consume some toxins like copper as it sucks in the nitrates and phosphates.
Once you get the tank thriving with no display nusiance algaes or cyano, the tank can basically (but not totally) takes care of itself.
But you probably will have to maintain calcium.alk. and magnesium with inexpensive chemicals (calcium chloride, baking soda, magnesium chloride, and epson salts). Hence the diy two part.
Aptasia can be a problem. Mine died off with less feeding. I have heard killing the lights helps also but I never tried that. I did try a kalk paste (Picking lime) but couldn't fully control it and calcium did bump up to high levels for a few weeks.
I've never maintained such a large system so those are just over-all ideas.
I hope in Iran you have these types of things so I have been helpful.
But it's really just my.
.02
ps Guy's old tank ran for years and years over a decade and was awesome. Paul_b on some of these boards has had a tank running for 40 years.
I should out more effort into my plans . thanks for the algae advice . my tank is in great condition except for the Aitapsia problem .will try to find peppermint shrimo tomorrow .
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by IvasawaJin http:///t/394168/want-tips-from-10-year-old-reef-veterans-please#post_3508342
No site ships to iran . the damn country is banned and sanctioned from the modern world .
I forget just how big our world wide web is...I always assume everyone is in America and I know better, I just don't think of it. Hope you can find the peppermints, but be careful they are easy to get mixed up with the camel shrimp which looks very simular, so make sure it is actually a peppermint. Look up and study the markings and shape so you can know the difference for yourself.
 
ivasawajin

ivasawajin

Member
Quote:
Originally Posted by Flower http:///t/394168/want-tips-from-10-year-old-reef-veterans-please#post_3508425
I forget just how big our world wide web is...I always assume everyone is in America and I know better, I just don't think of it. Hope you can find the peppermints, but be careful they are easy to get mixed up with the camel shrimp which looks very simular, so make sure it is actually a peppermint. Look up and study the markings and shape so you can know the difference for yourself.
Yeah I heard Camel shripms arent 100% reef safe .
 
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