I am so tired of every single store you go to u get diffrent answers. Please if you have the time I would love some feed back. I also hope this will help other people. First I was using carbon in my tank. Reciently my tang has come down with a pretty belad case of hole in the head. I am now feeding my tang spectrum pellets and other healthy foods. I have hurd that carbon can take important nutriants out of the water. Also I have a 14 ,000 k 175 watt metal halide. Is this enoughf to substain baby clams and Sps corals if they are within 10 inches of the surface. Also what is the deal with bio balls and filter socks. I used to have bio balls but have reciently stopped using them because I have been convienced that they are bad. So are bio balls good or is a filter sock good????? Also I have a filter sock in my tank and my questin is how do I clean it. It won't come clean when I rinse it under the sink. Are there any downsides to a filter sock. What about a down side to bio balls. Also if you have lps corals sps corals invertbrayes and clams what supplements should be added to the water. And what they don't tell you what is the affect of using these suppements and what do u halft to do when using them. Do they mess up the water chemestry or are there suppements u halft to add a supplement to the suppement u are adding. Those last senteces were just examples I am not talking about any spacific suppement. They tell u stuff and expect u to know everything that do but most people don't and then there are consqueces. Answers would be great. Expecialy about cleaning filter socks. Thank you.
A long stream of questins that will hopfullly benefit everyone if answered.
- Thread starter Kwater
- Start date
BigH55
I'm that guy
Your lights should be fine. Also you can clean your filter sock by putting it into the dishwasher with out soap. It works great. Bio balls tend to be nitrate factories and are considered old technology. Live rock and chaeto algae are the new standard.Clams require calcium to build there shells and need phyto plankton to feed on.
ccCapt
Reef Hacker
Carbon will remove colors, odors, meds and some organic compounds. Not sure what you mean by nutrients, but it will do more good for the tank, if it's needed, that harm.
A 175w MH is fine for any coral/clam.
I used bioballs in my wet/dry filter for over 15 yrs. I never had a nitrate problem.
Just wash the filtersock the best you can...and do it often. A cruddy filter sock can lead to nitrate and algae problems.
Don't dose anything unless you test for it. Depending on the salt you use and what the stuff in your tank consumes, you may or may not have to supplement calcium, alkalinity and magnesium.
A 175w MH is fine for any coral/clam.
I used bioballs in my wet/dry filter for over 15 yrs. I never had a nitrate problem.
Just wash the filtersock the best you can...and do it often. A cruddy filter sock can lead to nitrate and algae problems.
Don't dose anything unless you test for it. Depending on the salt you use and what the stuff in your tank consumes, you may or may not have to supplement calcium, alkalinity and magnesium.
acerhigh
just a reefer
Carbon removes impurities from the water that can be harmful.. Used in excess, or "free floating" it can be harmful, but generally is considered a good thing...
a 175 Halide should be fine for sps and clams... I would stick with Crocea Clams rather than maximas or gigas as they need more light and 175 is borderline. If your tank is 18" or shorter you should be able to keep them near the bottom too...... any taller than that and I would keep them nearer the top as you originally planned.
people used bio balls for years without many issues.... but the general concensis today is they retain excess nitrates and can actually cause issues with your tank. They still provide a great surface area for bacteria to grow on (their original purpose) I remove them and use live rock as it provides surface area for bacteria too. Filter socks are a debateable subject IMO.... IF you clean them regularly, they can help quite a bit with water clarity, however if you are lax in your husbandry at all they can cause more problems than they help... Soak them in bleach water and rinse well to clean.
The cardinal rule..... Don't dose anything you don't test for!!!! There isn't any rule carved in stone that says you HAVE to dose this particular thing if you want to have this coral.... probably the most common dosage that anyone uses is calcium... lps and sps use calcium to grow and therefore deplete the amount of calcium in your tank... if you don't have a lot..... chances are you are probably replenishing it enough with regular waterchanges..... the easiest method of calcium supplement is probably Kalkwasser.. it will help maintain cacium and PH levels in the tank... however if you need your alk adjusted as well, you may want to think about a 2 part treatment.. Randy Farley's two part... or there are ones that are sold in the store too.. again.... DON'T DOSE ANYTHING YOU DON'T TEST FOR.
hope that helped some.....
good luck
Dan
Navarchus
Almost smarter than a pig
Kwater, your questions are all good, and many of them are still the subject of much controversey. This is probably the reason you are getting conflicting answers from LFS and other sources. Therefore, my opinions here are really only opinions, as I think there is much debate ongoing. So here are my opinions:
1) I for one am still skeptical about the whole "nitrate factory" concept re bioballs.
2) I think carbon is good when it is used periodicaly, not constantly.
3) I like filter socks. (Nothing worse than a filter with cold feet). I wash my filter sock weekly, if not more often.
4) If you have SPS corals, dose calcium, alk, magnesium, and strontium. As others mentioned, you must also test these levels.
5) Your lights are fine for a tank with a depth of 10 inches; even 12-18 inches, but I would increase lighting if any deeper (especially for clams).
6) I stay away from flake and pellet foods because they usually contain phosphates.
1) I for one am still skeptical about the whole "nitrate factory" concept re bioballs.
2) I think carbon is good when it is used periodicaly, not constantly.
3) I like filter socks. (Nothing worse than a filter with cold feet). I wash my filter sock weekly, if not more often.
4) If you have SPS corals, dose calcium, alk, magnesium, and strontium. As others mentioned, you must also test these levels.
5) Your lights are fine for a tank with a depth of 10 inches; even 12-18 inches, but I would increase lighting if any deeper (especially for clams).
6) I stay away from flake and pellet foods because they usually contain phosphates.
yote
In Memoriam
+1 all the above.
Smitty
Reef pro
+2 to all above posts.
Thank you for all of the berry helpfull answers. One one last thing in the catagory of filter socks. When I cleaned it under the sink I saw some stiff comming off of it but it was still brownish. Even if it looks dirty does that mean it is dirty. And one last thing what would happen of I put the filter socks in the washer and dryer with no soap. Say 20 minunited is the washer.
yote
In Memoriam
Most people throw the socks in the washing machine with a some bleach.You just have to make sure you get all the bleached rinsed out of it.
Bifferwine
I am a girl
If your tang has HLLE, that's usually more indicative of a nutritional deficiency, not a water quality issue (although it can be).
Your tangs diet should consist primarily of vegetable matter. Dried seaweed sheets are really important. Flakes and pellets contain preservatives which can lead to poor water quality, so flakes and pellets shouldn't be used. Emerald Entree is a great veggie-based frozen food. Tangs will also eat meaty foods like mysis, krill, etc, but this should not comprise the majority of their diet.
Another common cause of HLLE is stray voltage in the tank. Get yourself a cheapo voltmeter at the hardware store and check your tank.
http://saltaquarium.about.com/od/aquariummaintenancecare/a/aastrayvoltage.htm
Your tangs diet should consist primarily of vegetable matter. Dried seaweed sheets are really important. Flakes and pellets contain preservatives which can lead to poor water quality, so flakes and pellets shouldn't be used. Emerald Entree is a great veggie-based frozen food. Tangs will also eat meaty foods like mysis, krill, etc, but this should not comprise the majority of their diet.
Another common cause of HLLE is stray voltage in the tank. Get yourself a cheapo voltmeter at the hardware store and check your tank.
http://saltaquarium.about.com/od/aquariummaintenancecare/a/aastrayvoltage.htm
JAG107
Reef enthusiast
Okay, here's my opinion:
Filter socks are ok as long as theyre regularly cleaned.
Carbon is ok, just not a whole lot, and it needs to be changed at least once a month.
All you need to dose is what you're lacking in: calcium, alkalinity, and magnesium. Your alk may drop faster than calcium. All your "supplemental trace elements" are "dosed" by WATER CHANGES! 10-15% every week is what I do religiously. I fell for buying those miracle trace elements and strontium, iodine, and a dozen other bottles, and none of them have had any noticeable benefits. You're better off with a stable environment and stick to the basics, if you want SPS especially.
You don't HAVE to dose phyto for clams. From what most people have told me (take that for what its worth), the phyto clams filter from the water is WAY smaller in size than anything you can get in a bottle.
Your 175w halides are fine for just about anything you want. Clams, no problem. Most SPS, no problem.
Remember what others posted above, dont dose what you dont test for (strontium included, and thats supposed to be a tricky test, although I've never tried it). I stopped all dosing that I don't test for.
Filter socks are ok as long as theyre regularly cleaned.
Carbon is ok, just not a whole lot, and it needs to be changed at least once a month.
All you need to dose is what you're lacking in: calcium, alkalinity, and magnesium. Your alk may drop faster than calcium. All your "supplemental trace elements" are "dosed" by WATER CHANGES! 10-15% every week is what I do religiously. I fell for buying those miracle trace elements and strontium, iodine, and a dozen other bottles, and none of them have had any noticeable benefits. You're better off with a stable environment and stick to the basics, if you want SPS especially.
You don't HAVE to dose phyto for clams. From what most people have told me (take that for what its worth), the phyto clams filter from the water is WAY smaller in size than anything you can get in a bottle.
Your 175w halides are fine for just about anything you want. Clams, no problem. Most SPS, no problem.
Remember what others posted above, dont dose what you dont test for (strontium included, and thats supposed to be a tricky test, although I've never tried it). I stopped all dosing that I don't test for.
butchwvw
Reefing newb
something from a nube here. the place i am getting my tank from has a large tank set up with a sock and it has to be changed often or it can cause an overflow problem. i was there last week and saw water on the floor and told them and bingo , the sock was dirty.
