Another thing. I've now done as most guys suggested and taken out the ceramics, bio-balls and sponges and replaced it with some filter floss that i've been cleaning daily. What else can I put in the one empty chamber to increase quality, clarity, etc of the tank? Someone made a suggestion to put one Seachem's Purigen welded filter bag in the open chamber. What do you think? Any experience with this product?
The long road...
- Thread starter Jaak
- Start date
The bigger the particles the more and bigger the spaces between them. In these spaces fish poo and other waste gathers and starts to effect PO4 and Nitrate levels. Rake to realise the shit into the water column and hopefully skimmed out, or replace the coral with more aragonite.
Thanks Warr. Would this need to form part of my maintenance routine or would this be a once off excersize?
Unfortunately not, you going need to do it regularly. How often is going be dependent on how much livestock you have and how much flow.
Cool. Thanks for that. Something else I did not know..
Hi Jaak - yes - you should "rake" THE TOP 0.5 to 1cm of your substrate - if you go any deeper, you might release pockets of sulfides which is toxic to your life-stock....
This "crap" that is released (detritus, larvae, etc) also then acts as food for your corals, and other filterfeeding critters (ie fanworms, etc)...
I do this at least 4 times a week - sometimes more....
You also need to use either a power-head, or a turkeybaster to blast water onto your live rock, because detritus also settles on/in your live rock - to clean your live rock out too....
This "crap" that is released (detritus, larvae, etc) also then acts as food for your corals, and other filterfeeding critters (ie fanworms, etc)...
I do this at least 4 times a week - sometimes more....
You also need to use either a power-head, or a turkeybaster to blast water onto your live rock, because detritus also settles on/in your live rock - to clean your live rock out too....
Turkeybaster!!?? Is this one of your wife's appliances you stole?
Tobes
Retired Moderator
Don't you get an ammonia or nitrate spike if you blow all the crap out the live rock all at once in your water column?
I only do it when I do a water change and doesn't seem to effect parameters.
I did a 10ish % water change yesterday (15/06/2008) with RO water mixed with Dphin Marine Salt. Here's some tests I did before the water change:
Ph: 8.2
Sg: 1.026
Ammonia: 0.5mg/l
Nitrite: 0.0mg/l
Nitrate: 0.0mg/l
Calcium: 400mg/l
All good so far. Go cycle go!!
Ph: 8.2
Sg: 1.026
Ammonia: 0.5mg/l
Nitrite: 0.0mg/l
Nitrate: 0.0mg/l
Calcium: 400mg/l
All good so far. Go cycle go!!
Looking good,that ammonia reading shows that things are dying off and your bacteria is setting in.
One of our great marine toolsA must have for your setup.
Warr,
Please elaborate on what a turkeybaster is... I've got no clue what you're talking about...
When I do my weekly water change, I blast my reef, as fish poo and other bad stuff (detritus) gets stuck in the rocks and this can increase your nitrate and phosphate levels which inturn promote algae and cyanobacteria.
blasting gets this stuff into the water column and a small amount gets removed with the water change and the rest gets skimmed out by the skimmer.
Nice and simple way of keeping the tank clean
Hi Tobes - NO - you don't release ammonia into the water, only the detritus. Which either goes down the down-pipe to the sump or down back onto the substrate or rocks.....
Detritus still have to break down to ammonia/nitrites/nitrates, etc.... etc..
When I do my weekly water change, I blast my reef, as fish poo and other bad stuff (detritus) gets stuck in the rocks and this can increase your nitrate and phosphate levels which inturn promote algae and cyanobacteria.
blasting gets this stuff into the water column and a small amount gets removed with the water change and the rest gets skimmed out by the skimmer.
Nice and simple way of keeping the tank clean
LOL @ Warr!! Thanks, man!
Mike
Retired Moderator
A good blast with the turkey baster on a weekly basis will keep the crap from building up, blast it up and out into the water column and the skimmer will get most of it, it does take a little while to clear, but not a problem.