A Bunch of Questions

[richardhmc]

Hey MR! I just got a bunch of equipment related questions that have to do with my tank.

- Should my refugium light over my chaeto be always on? Or do I turn it off at night?

- What is the best light for a refugium? Right now my light is a spiral compact florescent @ 5500k, @ 15w. My chaeto turns light green-yellow at the top where the light is the closest. I know I'm supposed to be going for the dark green though. How do I do this?

- Is a Phosphate remover/Phosban necessary? Does it have a drastic effect?

- Is a UV sterilizer needed?

-What other equipment add-ons are suggested?

-I have a metal halide and power compacts. Should these be replaced? How often? What happens if I don't?

Thanks!

 

[ming]

You may benefit from having the refugium on when your tank is off to balance the PH swings.
The light green cheato is just new growth. Its a good sign IMO and means its growing.

Phosphate remover isn't necessary, but it can help if you've got too much phosphates

UV is not needed unless you want to have it as a preventative measure against ick, green water, or even bubble algae (they eventually pop and release their babies into the water)

 

[masterswimmer]

Have you seen the Rio Mini Sun LED - Daylight (not the blue) ? Real nice refugium light.

I believe refugiums should be lit exactly like Ming says. Opposite your daylights to balance the system wide pH.

Phosban for phosphate removal is not necessary but sure does help.....a lot.

UV is also not a necessity, but it's a great aid if you have an outbreak of parasites. Remember, the UV can only kill the parasites that pass in front of the UV light (free floating). It cannot kill the unhatched cysts.

I am a believer of running carbon 24/7. Some people don't believe in this, but I do. A large number of the coral we keep in our tanks release toxins for protection from predators. Carbon is an effective way to neutralize the toxins. Carbon will also help to remove the yellowing in water, or as some say, polish it.

Russ

 

[ryangrieder]

Id say leave it on. i leave mine on at night because when everything is settle and calm, my pods become active and wonder off out of the fuge and enter my tank because i can see my fish randomly go on a hunt in the middle of the night.

how wide is your sump? i got the coralife 2- 18w power compact. its only 12 inch fixture. grows everything from cheeto, halmedia, grape calerpia...ect. just not mangrooves. they also make single bulb power compact fuge lights. just look them up anywhere online. maybe you will like that better... ming is right about the coloration other wise.

its up to you about a phosphate remover? do you constantly have a phosphate issue? if your levels are ok involving phosphate then its not needed, but on the other hand it does not hurt. as for does it really work that great? thats up to you on what you use in a phosban reactor...

uv sterlizer is also like having the phosban reactor. you get green water alot? if thats an issue get a uv. i had ick a few times while my uv running. never helped with ick. it can kill harmful bacteria as well. but again, not needed, but would not hurt.

other "add ons"? well that kind of consists of alot with a large selection of dif. things. what do you water other things for? water flow? calcium? polishing water? lighting? there is alot of things. a few random things i guess would be a reactor. calcium reactor. powerheads. filter socks with an assembly kit. uhhhh anything with carbon, i always have a carbon reactor running all the time. ummmm i dont know how crazy you want to get with it? lol kinda elaberate with that for us...

replace your mh 6-8 months and power compacts about a year. you want too long...well nothing if you wait like a year and a month...or even 2-3 years. they probably wont blow, im just pretty sure i heard (dont take my word on this) but the lumans in the bulbs become weak and will not preform as well watts as the bulb is suppost to have. and they fade alot. just replace them. everyone has different times zones. thats just my rule of thumb.

 

[Josh]

You do not need a uv sterilizer.

Phosban is unnecessary if this is your first tank. You can always add it later if you start testing for phosphates. If you use RODI water and do regular water changes your phosphate levels should not be high enough to affect the type of corals you should be buying for your first tank. Of you start getting fancy corals or SPS then you may want to start looking at your phosphate levels.

 

[richardhmc]

How about carbon?

Thanks for your responses!

 

[daisy]

Running carbon makes a pretty big difference in the color of your water unless you do water changes VERY often.

Very good advice you've gotten otherwise! Best of luck

 

[richardhmc]

I just did a fish tank water chemistry check

PH - I use a basic PH test kit for freshwater and it just goes to the max so it's very basic. So I assume it's fine.
Nitrate - 0 ppm
Phosphate - 0 ppm
KH (alkalinity) - 161.1 ppm
Calcium - 400 ppm

Are these normal stats? I'm surprised that my phosphate is 0 considering I have algae growth. How about my Alkalinity and calcium? Currently I'm trying to revive green star polyps and have an acan frag.

 

[KathyC]

You can have an algae issue and show no phosphates. The phosphates that are in the tank are being used by the algae as food.
You should consider running a phosban reactor if you already have an algae issue.

 

[richardhmc]

Also I have some chaeto in there, I was hoping that would take care of the phosphates but looks like I need a phosphate reactor now

 

[ryangrieder]

cheeto is more for lowering nitrates and a home for pods and natural elements.

 

[masterswimmer]

Your Ca is also on the low side. For a FO setup I wouldn't worry about the 400 reading. However, on a reef you should try to stabilize it between 420-460.

Now, pH is something we can discuss at great length. Using a freshwater pH test kit and getting a reading above the highest level in that kit is not a fine enough measurement. For EXAMPLE: the difference between a reading of 7.9 and 8.6 is a HUGE variance. On your test kit both readings of 7.9 and 8.6 would appear the same, and although 8.3 is absolutely great and no adjustments would be necessary, 8.6 is absolutely too high and should be lowered. Your test kit can't give you a precise enough reading to determine that. I recommend purchasing an appropriate saltwater pH test kit. They are not extremely expensive and are certainly helpful in maintaining stable pH values.

Hope this helps,
Russ

 

[richardhmc]

I'm definitely buying carbon and a reactor from Bulk Reef Supply.
I'm close to buying GFO/phosphate remover.
In this thread people said that it is not required.
I'm keeping caps, sps, acans, and mushrooms.
My phosphate is low, but for high end corals, should there be absolutely NO phosphate?
I do weekly water changes. Every weekend I do a 40% water change.

 

[ryangrieder]

having NO phosphates is an issue that has been argued about alot. alot say yes, and alot say no...

 

[richardhmc]

Well my phosphates right now are very minimal so I guess I don't need a phosphate remover.. more people seem to put emphasis on carbon as something is needed

 

[ryangrieder]

carbon is a very good way to clean water and remove any smells... carbon is a very good media to run, one of the best. i have a reactor dedicated to just carbon

 

[richardhmc]

K thanks for your input! I guess I'll just run carbon then.

 

[richardhmc]

I'm going to dose 2-part bionic on my tank to raise my calc and alk levels.
According to masterswimmer, calc is 420-460. so then what should my alk level be? Thanks!

 

[masterswimmer]

Optimum Alkalinity level should be between 9-11 dKh.

B-Ionic 2 part is a great way to dose.

Russ

 

[richardhmc]

I just did my weekly 40% water change and my alkalinity is at 11dkh. However, my calc is at 420 ppm. Should I dose only calcium?