Supergiantrobot's 90 G tank setup

[Anonymous]

What is an easy way to increase the macros? Can they be seeded? Encouraged?

Well actually amonia at 8 ppm for a little while should help them

And you can add more macros.

But basically and especially where you are at now, just providing growing room, protecting them from the livestock, and some light should result in good growth. And then they can expand to whatever is needed to consume the nutrients your system is generating. Once nitrAtes are low harvesting some is beneficial and recommended.

But basically, if you have new growth things are going well.

Bob

 

[supergiantrobot]

The refugium light is a Lights of America fluorescent flood light typically used outside. It's only on about an hour and a half now per day, from 6pm to Sunset. Others have recommended not blasting the 'fuge with a lot of light or I would get terrible algae problems.

 

[Anonymous]

The refugium light is a Lights of America fluorescent flood light typically used outside. It's only on about an hour and a half now per day, from 6pm to Sunset. Others have recommended not blasting the 'fuge with a lot of light or I would get terrible algae problems.

I recommend you increase the light duration. That is way too short. My small external refug is 24/7.

You could try doubling it each day then check to see for any adverse affects. Too much lighting is generally a problem in the display not external refug.

I think you find the nitrAtes will lower as you increase the lighting.

Bob

 

[ChrisRD]

with ammonia down to 0.0 it look like you are well on your way. With the refugium full of plant life nitrAtes should come down next.

Without a refugium full of plant life the nitrates will come down too. The live rock/sand in the system will naturally denitrify the system water.

 

[ChrisRD]

Based upon my experience, sufficient plant life would have not resulted in the huge ammonia spike you experienced. Plant life prefers to consume ammonia thereby cutting short cycles such as you experiened.

Have you ever run a reef tank without the plant life? If not, how would you know what sort of differences it's making in this regard? Most would consider a protein skimmer a FAR more effective nutrient control tool during rock curing.

So I suspected you simply did not have sufficient plant life to handle the bioload from your system.

How do you explain all the heavily stocked reef tanks that do well with no algae filtration?

So my recommendation is to either establish or increase the plant life such as macros in your refugium. Just makes the system more stable and forgiving of whatever conditions are present.

In your opinion. In the opinion of many, the skimmer is what's going to provide the most forgiveness and the poster already has one.

 

[Anonymous]

supergiantrobot:

Please forgive the empassioned responses here.

Obviously Chris's and my experiences differ.

What is important is for you to be exposed to differing ideas. Then experiment and see what works best for you.

We all wish you the absolute best system. Regardless of the way that system is setup.

Bob

 

[ChrisRD]

supergiantrobot:

Please forgive the empassioned responses here.

The "empassioned" responses here are a direct result of your posts here and in other threads where I feel questionable information and baseless opinions are being presented as facts. IMO this is a disservice to the newcomer and it's part of my responsibility as a moderator of this site to point this out to folks.

Obviously Chris's and my experiences differ.

Unfortunately Bob, you don't have much experience when it comes to reef tanks which is where some of your misconceptions are coming from.

What is important is for you to be exposed to differing ideas. Then experiement and see what works best for you.

I would recommend researching different ideas here, online, in reference books, etc. to find out what works before making purchases or experimenting with live animals.

We all wish you the absolute best system. Regardless of the way that system is setup.

On this, Bob and I agree.

 

[Anonymous]

awwwwwwww agreement

 

[supergiantrobot]

There are surely many opinions in this hobby. Luckily, we all have access to them. I am very grateful for this forum and the fine folks that habituate #reefs. I was pointed away from bad stuff and pointed to good stuff in the last few weeks.

 

[supergiantrobot]

I have a question.

In a previous posting, I asked about my live rock "dying" during the high ammonia and high nitrites of my cycle. It seems as if every good critter on the rock may have been wiped out...

So, if that is the case, then where does it get new critters from? Or do some minute amounts of critter survive to regenerate?

In other words, do I have piles of dead rock now?

 

[Anonymous]

In a previous posting, I asked about my live rock "dying" during the high ammonia and high nitrites of my cycle. It seems as if every good critter on the rock may have been wiped out...

So, if that is the case, then where does it get new critters from? Or do some minute amounts of critter survive to regenerate?

In other words, do I have piles of dead rock now?

You don't have piles of dead rock!

Live rock is actually a misnomer. What it actually refers to is the bacteria that live on and in the rock that convert ammonia to nitrite to nitrate and a host of other stuff. The bacteria is pretty much always there and the rising and lowering of the chemical spikes is the different mostly the bacterial populations stabilizing.
The population of bacteria will grow from any 'seed' bacteria that is in the tank, and you have plenty.

The visible critters on live rock are a slightly different story. The problem with the fresh live rock is that usually most of the bigger critters and plants die off due to issues during shipping and then they rot when you add them to your tank. There is some question as to this rotting helping or hurting the cycle.
The good news is plenty of the critters and plants survive the die off, survive the cycle, and live to repopulate the tank in a few months. So, no worries!

 

[vair]

If you know any other reefers and your water is under control you could "seed" your live rock and sand from live rock and sand from a established tank.

Things are going well, keep reading and learning good luck!

Dave

 

[Anonymous]

Hopefully the critters that died left some eggs behind. and with the ammonia down they eggs will hatch into a new environment and thirive. Only takes a couple for the critters to reappear in force.

 

[HClH2OFish]

I had same issue w/my live rock after it cured. Lost some of the cool things on it (clams, etc.)
After the cycle though, I've got tons of life that survived...got at least 1/2 dozen clams, and new baby clams too....tons of featherdusters, lotsa coralline, tons of pods, got some foraminifrens (sp?) and spotted a coupla bristleworms the other night....

Life will find a way!

 

[supergiantrobot]

I am just hoping that I did not lose everything. The rock just looks plastered with gray remnants. I picked off a dead featherduster the other day.

I have yet to test for nitrates today, but my nitrites are still 5+. Ammonia, salinity, pH are all good, otherwise.

On other fronts, I ordered a dozen red mangroves and purchased a broad-spectrum daylight bulb to keep those happy when they get planted.

I also am tinkering with some X10 devices to control the tank with success so far. I purchased the Powerlinc USB, so I can program it with my Mac and then disconnect from it, or if I want to control it via AppleScript or email messages, I can leave it connected. I am using Indigo on the Mac for the software.

I feel like I am running a zoo, but have no animals. Or guests.

 

[supergiantrobot]

On Day Twelve:

Nitrites down to 0.5. Nitrates up to 10.0.

All other stuff seems stable.

 

[Anonymous]

cycling along nicely. betcha the nitrItes will be 0.0 in two days.

now you can expect to see algaes as the nitrAtes go up.

If nothing eats the algaes then I predict nitrAtes will peak and start going down.

If you have an effective cleaner crew eating the algaes, nitrates will continue to rise and with enough livestock the just before lights off ph will fall.

But then that's just beaslbob talking.

 

[ChrisRD]

Nitrates will zero out eventually too, with or without algae growths. Your live rock will provide plenty of denitrification.

 

[Anonymous]

Nitrates will zero out eventually too, with or without algae growths. Your live rock will provide plenty of denitrification.

I agree.

according to this article plant life (algaes) definately grows in the live rock. Therefore providing denitrification.

And anerobic/aneoxic bacteria probably exist in the interior.

But there may or may not be the correct water flow through the rock for that bacteria to be effective.

My concern and the reason for my previous post, is that cleaner crews eating the algae remove the only certain, proven, and measured means of nitrogen consumption on life rock. So better safe than sorry and make sure you have the plant life necessary to consume the nitrogen. As well as ammonia, phosphates, carbon dioxide, and filter out heavy metals and toxins as well. The way you don't have to worry about the anaerobic bacteria producing sulfides and ammonia.

But that's just beaslbob

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-05/r ... /index.htm

 

[ChrisRD]

"Plant life" is not needed to have a healthy reef with undetectable nitrate levels, despite what you may have convinced yourself of. All the functions required to complete the nitrogen cycle are provided by the bacteria present in/on live rock.