clintcar

Haha, imitation is the highest form of flattery! Quite a good idea I must say to incorporate the FW top-up chamber into the build of the sump rather than using a extra plastic container. Depending on the size of the tank though, you might still have to fill the FW compartment every other day.

Your fish is being bullied by tankmates. Torn fins accompanied by popeye are usually the result of blunt force trauma when the fish hurts itself while dashing for safety into the rock to escape. Popeye can also be caused by a bacterial infection, in which case it may be contagious to other fish. Bacterial infection can probably be ruled out in this case. Your best bet is to isolate the fish in a quarantine tank and dose 1 tablespoon of Epsom salts (magnesium sulfate) per 5 gallons of water. The Epsom salts will draw the fluid from the eye in a matter of a couple of days. You can even add the Epsom salts directly into your main tank at the same dosage. I’ve done this myself, so I can warrant that it is perfectly safe, having the side benefit of boosting your magnesium and increasing alkalinity. But then there is the issue of continued bullying once the recovered fish is returned to the tank.

IMHO you don’t need a canister filter. Unlike freshwater, you’ll need to maintain a weekly regimen of cleaning the filter media in a canister or your nitrates will skyrocket. You’re better off with live rock and substrate for biological filtration, coupled with a good skimmer to remove dissolved organics before they get a chance to break down to ammonia. For mechanical filtration a simple hang-on-back filter loaded with activated carbon and Polyfilter will work wonders. You can replace the carbon every 2 weeks (although I replace mine weekly) and your Polyfilter every 4-6 weeks depending on your bioload. For some reason, the Polyfilter doesn’t leach ammonia or nitrates back into the water unlike conventional filter wool. A simple rinse of the Polyfilter in tank water when you do a water change will remove accumulated sediment.

Totally agree. If all your parameters are in place, add fish slowly, one at a time with at least a week between additions. Your good bacteria literally double in population every 24 hours, so moving slowly with your additions ensure that they can meet the demands of the increasing bioload. Having a well-established bacterial population is the foundation of any tank.

I’m using the 9010. Mine took about 3 days to break in before it started to foam well. Skimmers need to develop a ‘slime coat’ of organics on their insides before they can start to work properly. My theory is that the slime coat provides a friction free surface for the bubbles to slide up, accumulate, and rise as foam. When first setting up the Tunze skimmer make sure that the sliding grid at the base is set fully open and is not in ‘plankton safe’ recirculation mode. Also the inside of the foam riser’s neck is sensitive to oils, even from one’s hands, so be careful not to touch the inside of the neck when cleaning it. Hope this helps.

According to Tunze's Roger Vitko the Nanostream 6055 will be priced at US$202.93 and will use the 7095 controller. The 6025 and 6045 will retail at US$61.84 and US$96.63 respectively. 6025 and 6045 are targetted for September release and 6055 will be targetted for December release. I'll be waiting for these..

Great looking lightset! May I ask, what is your lighting schedule like?

The procedure you describe applies to curing uncured live rock. Since your rock is dried and dead it is going to take many months for it to gain any semblance of life. I suggest you rinse clean your present rock thoroughly and soak it for several weeks in a tub of freshwater, changing the water regularly. The re-hydration of dried dead organisms will cause the water to foul repeatedly. Once the rock doesn't foul the water anymore and you're absolutely sure there is no more decay, you can add it to your saltwater setup and build fresh live rock over it. Over many months your live rock will seed your dead base rock until it becomes live again.

From the Marc Weiss website BlackPowder: INGREDIENTS: Crude protein, crude fiber, quartz, Cytokinin, yeasts Derived from ferment of: Citrus leaves, yeasts, animal by-products ComboVital: INGREDIENTS: Crude protein, quartz, Cytokinins, yeasts, Beta carotene, vegetable protein, Gamma-linolenic acid, Iron, B-12, B complex, Polysaccharides, sulfoloipids, glycolipids, Dextrose, Dl-Alpha-Trocopherol aceatate, L-arginine, vit A, D3,E, Thiamine, Niacinamide, B6, Folic Acid, Menadione, biotin, inositol, Ascorbic Acid Derived from ferment of: Citrus leaves, yeasts, animal byproducts, Spirulina, citrus molasses, Sweet Potato, Cayenne pepper, Anise, Stevia

I've used Marc Weiss' ComboVital which is a mixture of SpectraVital and BlackPowder, dosed sparingly twice a week. It can really goose nitrate levels if not used carefully. I saw a proliferation of tiny coco worms and branching red algae on the rock, powerheads and tank glass after about 2 months of using the product. Although I'm not certain if this was solely due to the ComboVital. The fish and shrimp seemed to enjoy eating it too. My opinion -- take it or leave it. If your calcium and dKh levels are adequate, natural life on the rock will bloom naturally.

Apologies for this double post, not sure what happened. Can mods please help delete. Thanks!

I've been using Aquarium Pharmaceutical's Tap Water Purifier system for quite a while. In the manual it states that the cartridge should be exchanged when the resin turns a blue-violet colour. I have never had a cartridge turn that colour, even after 100+ gallons of use -- just a few beads of violet resin at the top layer near the white polyester pad. The rest just looks to be a darker green than when the TWP was new -- I should get a TDS meter and measure the difference. Just a question -- anyone experienced having a TWP cartridge turn blue-violet when exhausted?

I've been using Aquarium Pharmaceutical's Tap Water Purifier system for quite a while. In the manual it states that the cartridge should be exchanged when the resin turns a blue-violet colour. I have never had a cartridge turn that colour, even after 100+ gallons of use -- just a few beads of violet resin at the top layer near the white polyester pad. The rest just looks to be a darker green than when the TWP was new -- I should get a TDS meter and measure the difference. Just a question -- anyone experienced having a TWP cartridge turn blue-violet when exhausted?

Yes, brilliant! Thank you for that Loster. I was going to place the ball valve on the feed to the skimmer but realise after reading your suggestion that control of the skimmer feed will be way better if the valve is placed on the side to the sump. There'll be more assured water pressure to the skimmer feed instead of losing water pressure to the wide open unregulated T on the sump side. Thanks again!

I'm planning on getting a Deltec APF600 and I intend to place it in-sump with a gravity feed from my overflow box. I'm trying not to use yet another pump just to feed the skimmer mainly due to unnecessary heat and electricity issues if I can avoid them. Overflow --> overflow pipe to sump --> T (one side to ball valve before skimmer input) (one side directly back to sump) Anyone using a similar configuration?

Thanks for that. I don't know of many reefers in SG who run a plenum but it is an interesting methodology nonetheless. I wonder exactly how long the plenum in the Monaco aquarium has been in place, since Jaubert did implement it there first. Did you start with a plenum or were you a former DSB advocate that went with a plenum later on with a new setup?

For a DSB sugar-fine sand throughout is generally recommended, to a depth of no less that 4" with 6" being preferable. It is also not recommended to mix coral sand with fine sand in a DSB as it would cause the fine grain sand to progressively be displaced, over many months, to the bottom layer of the sandbed with the coarser sand forming most of the upper layer. Mixing radically different sand grades would also inhibit the work and benefits that sand-stirring infauna provide. Basically you want relatively uniform fine sand in a DSB.

Loonz: <<My sandbed's about 3"...for about 8 years...no problems. >> Loonz, great to hear that! Care to share any maintenance tricks? Do you siphon detritus off the sandbed? Having had your sandbed in place for so long, how often have you had to replenish sand? Brittlestars: <<Would it be wise to place an egg-crate first before putting sand to SSB level (abt 1")? Egg-crate is to provide a more stable footprint for LR.>> Yes, other than adding stability, I have read that this technique is also used to elevate LR off the sand to prevent formation of black hydrogen sulfide patches from forming under the rock. Or help minimize their occurrence at any rate. No personal experience with this idea though. Have you tried this for yourself? One drawback is that in a SSB setup, the crate might become visible in some areas as sand forms dunes with powerhead currents and fish activity. I wonder also how wrasses that bury themselves in sand to sleep would fare in such conditions, indeed even in an eggcrate-less SSB setup. Blenny: <<If possible have a remote deep sand bed that you can disconnect IF it ever fail. >> A good idea, these remote deep sandbed and refugium combos -- if large enough they provide efficient NNR and a continuous feast of 'pods for the fish! This probably comes closest to replicating nature. Do you run such a system on your setup? Thanks all, for your replies. Your input is much valued. I'm setting up a new tank this week and I'll probably go with the SB depth of my present tank, 2 - 2 1/2". Unless someone with a bad prior experience with this sand depth warns me otherwise!..

Just a suggestion -- how about incorporating the return pipe into your overflow box?

Technically, electricity and water tariffs are the same whether its HDB/condo/private. The variance is in the charges for waterborne/sanitary appliance and rubbish removal services. But then again I have noticed a difference in electricity consumption from the time I lived in a rented condo and my present HDB. And electricity consumption for the condo was well and above common rationalisations such as 'bigger room size = increase aircon' type formulas...

If its not an estimated bill I think you should call PUB and ask for another reading. Tell them the meter reader made a mistake. If you're at home you can even ask the meter reader to show you the actual usage -- they carry some sort of meter reading calculation device.

My May PUB bill indicates electricity tariff is still at 20/21 cents per kW/h. Could your bill be an estimate for the month instead of an actual reading? I once had an estimated PUB bill that indicated $100+ for gas supply usage alone -- only a 'sze cha' food stall could probably use that much gas. When I went down to PUB to challenge the estimate the customer service person just couldn't get herself to admit to their mistake. She said that estimates were based on average usage over the last 3 months. I had brought along my previous bills that showed 0 gas usage and I questioned their calculation for this estimation. In the end she said I should ignore the bill and wait for the next one the following month for the amended amount. Good thing I don't believe in paying by GIRO for bills, otherwise they would have conveniently deducted the amount of $300+.

Hi Esteemed SG Reefers! There has been much discussion about DSB vs SSB and BB on other forums. While DSB's (4" and more) provide efficient NNR, its long term viability over 4 - 7 years has been brought into question. The progressive depletion of infauna and sand-stirrers in what becomes essentially a nutrient sink, leading to hydrogen sulfide and phosphate buildup, apparently may cause a possible deep-sandbed crash after a number of years. There is some argument that SSB's (1" or less) or going BB is safer in the long term as they do not become nutrient sinks since detritus can be easily removed by siphoning or remains suspended in the water column for removal by the sump filters. I noticed one accomplished reefer on this forum going to the extent of removing his established DSB, leaving only about 1/2" of sand for aesthetics. Such a drastic measure must indeed be motivated by indications of impending danger! Currently my sandbed is 2 - 2 1/2" inches thick -- I was afraid to commit to a DSB when I set up this, my first tank. Unfortunately, according to Calfo and other gurus anything less than 3" but more than 1" is a 'no-man's land', neither enough for NNR or for the sandbed to maintain a totally aerobic state. But I must say that this depth has worked fine for me so far, after more than a year. But then again I've yet to look under some of my larger pieces of rock.. Personally I find the BB look unnatural and a 1/2" sandbed probably chafes uncomfortably for sandbed dwelling corals, not to mention being inhospitable for sand-burying wrasses seeking sleep or refuge. Which do you use in your setup? It would be interesting to see the differing opinions and observations of the more experienced reefers here.