Hey beaslbob!

[SnowManSnow]

Just kinda jumping in the middle to make a statement here... I happen to agree witha lot of what Bob says concerning plant life being good for your system. I may never go to the extreme that he seems to have gone, and I'll probably always have at least a HOB skimmer, but thriving plantlife can't hurt ... at least in a fuge or somthin

 

[Anonymous]

Just an opinion based on observations.

I've actually found Coralline grows fastest in moderate light, high water flow, moderate nutrients. Where I consider a healthy reef to have high or intense lighting, wicked high water flow and very low nutrients.

Take a look and some of the better looking SPS tanks. There's some Coralline there but not as much as LPS or softy tanks and mostly in the shade. Seems the dark coralline likes moderate or even low lighting as well.

All opinion of course and perhaps I'll be the one standing corrected

I do wonder what Bob's Phosphate level is though....

 

[Anonymous]

No body is saying "plant life" is bad. Many of us use "plant life" to our advantage even if we don't realize it.

 

[Anonymous]

Just kinda jumping in the middle to make a statement here... I happen to agree witha lot of what Bob says concerning plant life being good for your system. I may never go to the extreme that he seems to have gone, and I'll probably always have at least a HOB skimmer, but thriving plantlife can't hurt ... at least in a fuge or somthin

'don't think we're disagreeing, like Reef Box Etc says. I find it a pretty harsh statement to say "I never recommend skimming". I'm still awaiting pictures to back that statement up. I think pictures will tell all. If I like his pictures/tank, I'll take his advice.

~wings~

 

[Anonymous]

sigh... I have to agree. If you want to emulate someones aquarium the best bet is to emulate their technique. It's not a guarantee but it does bump up the odds.

 

[Anonymous]

Agreed but it is not the almighty wonder cure for a new/old/perfect/poor/whatever tank.

When I was battling the hair algae, allot of first responses are to add a fuge. Hair algae and other nusiance algaes grow when there is excess nutrients. They must be removed. This can happen through skimming, water changes and/or macro algaes.

90% of the reef tanks I have seen run a skimmer. Most SPS systems run CA reactors.

I would rather go with the odds of tanks runing skimmers and proper husbandry than adding a refugium to mask laziness of imporper husbandry.

These are my opinions
_________________
sour diesel sour bubble plants

 

[Anonymous]

sigh... I have to agree. If you want to emulate someones aquarium the best bet is to emulate their technique. It's not a guarantee but it does bump up the odds.

So Guy... :twisted: got any pictures? <....runs away because I haven't posted anything recent in a long time too....inlaws have the digital camera because they are on vacation...>

:lol:

~wings~

 

[Anonymous]

Do you recommend skimming when you use plants as a filtration?

~wings~

Actually I never recommend skimming. Much better to spend the money on a larger system to start off with. Simmers can and do have failures and require maintenance.

BTW I recommend plant life as opposed to plants. Just a nit but there are few true marine plants and from what I understand the true marine plants are very slow growing. But plant life also includes hair algae, corraline algae plus chaeto, halimeda, caulperas and so on. As I said just a nit.

Well as long as we're being nitpicky all those things aren't plants or plant life. They're algae.

 

[Anonymous]

Well as long as we're being nitpicky all those things aren't plants or plant life. They're algae.

That's a secret pet peeve I have too. Calling Marine Algae "Plant Life". It confuses the conversation when you are actually discussing Plants like Mangrove or Turtle Grass.

 

[Anonymous]

So Guy... :twisted: got any pictures?

I guess that's only fair.

I just switched from VHO to MH so I'm in the middle of re-aquascaping. I'm in the "has potential" stage.

 

[Anonymous]

Guy, looks like your fishes are trapped inside the rock pyramid....

 

[Anonymous]

Looks great Guy! The little brown diatom on the right is from the change over in lighting I guess?

~wings~

 

[Anonymous]

I know you don't want to hear this... but if you threw out that crushed coral and the lava rocks and started topping off with limewater the Coralline would probably completely envelop that eggcrate in a couple of months. It would look a lot more natural that way.

Just a thought.

Thanks for the thought. I would also have a system that could kill everything if I overdosed. I'll stay with what I have now. And the oyster shells to a lot of filtering also.

To a later post yes still 2x overdriven NO 6500k t-8's. Corraline is slowly spreading. have replaced 1/2 the tubes with t-8 actinics. But the jury is out on them. Generally things are more colorful but seem less healthy. Will have to wait and see what happens.

I am also going to try some lime just to see if mag goes up. it's at ~1150-1200 now. So if it bumps up a bit then I will continue using it. Just a touch on the oyster shells. It is 14% mag carbonate. Oh and costs $3/40# LOL.

 

[Anonymous]

Looks great Guy! The little brown diatom on the right is from the change over in lighting I guess?

~wings~

Probably but I also removed my pair of Conch so I don't drop anything on them. They'll go back in once I'm done.

 

[Anonymous]

I am also going to try some lime just to see if mag goes up. it's at ~1150-1200 now. So if it bumps up a bit then I will continue using it.

Magnesium is the downfall of Lime. It has none. I would suggest Magnesium chloride in your case. Epsome Salt (Magnesium sulfate) is OK for a small bump in Magnesium but not one as large as you need.

A small water change would work too but I know how you feel about that.

 

[Anonymous]

I know you don't want to hear this... but if you threw out that crushed coral and the lava rocks and started topping off with limewater the Coralline would probably completely envelop that eggcrate in a couple of months. It would look a lot more natural that way.

Just a thought.

That's the real question, I haven't really seen any evidence of a "healthy" reef tank in regard to Coralline. Beaslbob, care to comment on this?

~wings~

Sure. Seems to me that you could have corraline and dead livestock. And you could also have thriving, expanding livestock and little or no corraline.

 

[Anonymous]

I know you don't want to hear this... but if you threw out that crushed coral and the lava rocks and started topping off with limewater the Coralline would probably completely envelop that eggcrate in a couple of months. It would look a lot more natural that way.

Just a thought.

That's the real question, I haven't really seen any evidence of a "healthy" reef tank in regard to Coralline. Beaslbob, care to comment on this?

~wings~

Sure. Seems to me that you could have corraline and dead livestock. And you could also have thriving, expanding livestock and little or no corraline.

What do you mean my "livestock"? Fish? Inverts? corals?

~wings~

 

[Anonymous]

I am also going to try some lime just to see if mag goes up. it's at ~1150-1200 now. So if it bumps up a bit then I will continue using it.

Magnesium is the downfall of Lime. It has none. I would suggest Magnesium chloride in your case. Epsome Salt (Magnesium sulfate) is OK for a small bump in Magnesium but not one as large as you need.

A small water change would work too but I know how you feel about that.

Perhaps I should have been clearer. It was either dolomite or dolomitic lime or something like that. again 14% magnesium carbonate. Basically the rest calcium carbonate. and much finer than the oyster shells. So probably no good for 100% of the filter media, but might be acceptable to mix some with the shells.

But even without, I am within 10% or what the ideal is. So I am not worried. After all I would hate to be the one chasing numbers

 

[Anonymous]

...

What do you mean my "livestock"? Fish? Inverts? corals?

~wings~

yep

 

[Anonymous]

...

What do you mean my "livestock"? Fish? Inverts? corals?

~wings~

yep

Ok, then I think I disagree with you on this.
~wings~