Rjohn Posted March 31, 2012 Share Posted March 31, 2012 This week I purchased the BRS dual canister filter for running GFO and carbon. It installed fairly easily in less than a hour. I am hoping this will get my tank clean again. Later today, I will pull some rocks, scrub them with H202 and get rid of this nagging algae problem. Question: I have crushed coral as a substrate. When I change water, I do not "vacuum" the substrate. Should I be doing that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michae52 Posted March 31, 2012 Share Posted March 31, 2012 Ric next time you are going to RCA let me know and I will bring you some Macro Alage if you would like. That stuff grows pretty quick and maybe it will pull enough NO3 and PO4 to stop the GHA . If you are interested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juiceman Posted March 31, 2012 Share Posted March 31, 2012 I stir my crushed coral up about once every 2 weeks or so to let the settled detritus get skimmed out. I'd definitely recommend it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rjohn Posted March 31, 2012 Author Share Posted March 31, 2012 Ric next time you are going to RCA let me know and I will bring you some Macro Alage if you would like. That stuff grows pretty quick and maybe it will pull enough NO3 and PO4 to stop the GHA . If you are interested. Thanks Michael. I have some chaeto in my sump that I got from Patrick at a meeting. If you have something different, I'd like to have some. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rjohn Posted March 31, 2012 Author Share Posted March 31, 2012 I was thinking about getting a sand sifting starfish to help with the "detritus trapped in the substrate" issue. What do you think? Reef safe? Will it shove my frags around a lot? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juiceman Posted March 31, 2012 Share Posted March 31, 2012 I don't know if sand sifters are any good on crushed coral. Or at least I don't have any in my tank. I also use a gravel siphon every now and again for my water changes. Lots of junk comes out. And I don't feed very much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AquaJohn Posted March 31, 2012 Share Posted March 31, 2012 I hope you have better luck with the dual chamber brs media unit. I have had one for a while now and its a clogorama I run there gfo in the first and have used alot of diffent kinds of carbon in the other and after a few days the flow starts to slow down then the carbon side gets a rusty brown/orange film in it and even with a okld MJ1200 at max flow nothing will go thu and I have to clean it all. I thought at one point it was the gfo braking up from to much flow but even at the point of it hardly moving the film develops. If I had it to do over again I would get seperate reactors. But I would like to hear how it goes maby its just me . I will probly end up getting another single and just leaving the second chamber empty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+brian.srock Posted April 7, 2012 Share Posted April 7, 2012 How's the progess so far? I'm also battling a high po level due to my sump pump collecting uneaten food and such. I just put filter socks on my intake pipes and purchased some gfo and gac for the filter socks and picked up an azoo phosphate remover bottle and am running 3 days of darkness. I started looking in to all the options from phosban reactors, brs dual chambers, and others and I think Im going to buy a fluval 406. It seemed to be the best when it came to changing filter media and power usage. Just want this algea problem dealt with since i lost several sps frags due to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dshel1217 Posted April 7, 2012 Share Posted April 7, 2012 I had crushed coral sub in my last tank and I always vacummed it out. I did about 50% of the substrate once a week. Still had algea in that tank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subsea Posted April 7, 2012 Share Posted April 7, 2012 My substrate is Florida Crushed Coral with a grain size from 2mm-5mm. This size substrate favors bacteria and not micro fauna and fana. The reason, that large grain size is used, is to extend the depth of the oxygen gradiant required of faculative bacteria. In practice, the most efficiant de-nitrification process is played out with faculative bacteria that produce free nityrogen as opposed to sulfide bacteria which live in anerobic conditions. The depth of the Jaubert Plenum which I use is 4"-6" deep with a false bottom and less than 1" void which is considered "The Plenumn". Will these faculative bacteria do the job without a plenumn? Yes. Does the plenumn help. After more than 10 years of accumulated data, Julian Sprug says yes to plenumn methods being more superior. With respect to stirring substrate with a cloud of detrius going into the water column. Consider that cloud as food for all the animals in the tank. If you wonder why your animals succomb to itch and other ailments, it may be because your system is sterile and will not nourish them adequately. I have not had itch in more than 10 years. Go figure. Patrick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subsea Posted April 7, 2012 Share Posted April 7, 2012 Bill, I would not add a starfish to your gravel bed. Clean it with a gravel vacumn. I like Cerith Snails and anphipods which bred and multiply in the large grain substrates. That is what I use instead of vacumn. While I do stir the gravel, it is to feed the Austrailian Sea Apple and the large Pink Cucumber with the yellow feeding feathers as well as the numerous filter feeders including flame scallops. Look at my systems when you come out for the April meeting. I can say with assurance, I do not work as hard as you'll to maintain my reef and lagoon systems. I feel my systems can stand up to all the people that do not like or understand natural reefkeeping. Patrick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subsea Posted April 7, 2012 Share Posted April 7, 2012 My substrate is Florida Crushed Coral with a grain size from 2mm-5mm. This size substrate favors bacteria and not micro fauna and fana. The reason, that large grain size is used, is to extend the depth of the oxygen gradiant required of faculative bacteria. In practice, the most efficiant de-nitrification process is played out with faculative bacteria that produce free nityrogen as opposed to sulfide bacteria which live in anerobic conditions. The depth of the Jaubert Plenum which I use is 4"-6" deep with a false bottom and less than 1" void which is considered "The Plenumn". Will these faculative bacteria do the job without a plenumn? Yes. Does the plenumn help. After more than 10 years of accumulated data, Julian Sprug says yes to plenumn methods being more superior. With respect to stirring substrate with a cloud of detrius going into the water column. Consider that cloud as food for all the animals in the tank. If you wonder why your animals succomb to itch and other ailments, it may be because your system is sterile and will not nourish them adequately. I have not had itch in more than 10 years. Go figure. Patrick I need to qualify my not having had itch in 10 years. In my 64 years, as a person, I have never had itch. I have had other things which will not be revealed. The last time that my ornamental fish systems had itch was a whole shipment around $500. That was ten years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rjohn Posted April 8, 2012 Author Share Posted April 8, 2012 How's the progess so far? I'm also battling a high po level due to my sump pump collecting uneaten food and such. I just put filter socks on my intake pipes and purchased some gfo and gac for the filter socks and picked up an azoo phosphate remover bottle and am running 3 days of darkness. I started looking in to all the options from phosban reactors, brs dual chambers, and others and I think Im going to buy a fluval 406. It seemed to be the best when it came to changing filter media and power usage. Just want this algea problem dealt with since i lost several sps frags due to it. The dual filter seems to be running fine. I am still having an algae problem even tho the phosphates and nitrates test out at zero. I bought a half gallon of 6% H202 at Sally's and treated some of the rocks, letting them soak for about 10 minutes. I used 2 gallons of water to about a quart of H202. The H202 looks like cream rinse tho. We will see. I am going to find a tall vacuum tube this week for my next water change. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rjohn Posted April 8, 2012 Author Share Posted April 8, 2012 Bill, I would not add a starfish to your gravel bed. Clean it with a gravel vacumn. I like Cerith Snails and anphipods which bred and multiply in the large grain substrates. That is what I use instead of vacumn. While I do stir the gravel, it is to feed the Austrailian Sea Apple and the large Pink Cucumber with the yellow feeding feathers as well as the numerous filter feeders including flame scallops. Look at my systems when you come out for the April meeting. I can say with assurance, I do not work as hard as you'll to maintain my reef and lagoon systems. I feel my systems can stand up to all the people that do not like or understand natural reefkeeping. Patrick Patrick, I am Ric not Bill. Bill is the guy from Leander with the ponds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subsea Posted April 8, 2012 Share Posted April 8, 2012 Rick, does the chaeto that you have in the refugium increase in size. If it is slow then you may need more light in the refugium. Another reason for macro to limit its growth when light is adequate is too little iron. If you know that nitrate and posphate are in the water but macro grows slow, then iron is often the limiting mineral. Try dosing with iron. In my 135G lagoon start-up, I included a substrate with iron in it. Patrick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+brian.srock Posted April 8, 2012 Share Posted April 8, 2012 What can be used to dose iron? I have a 6500k cf bulb and ever since i got my chaeto it really hasnt grown. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subsea Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/prod_display.cfm?c=3578+4680+16857&pcatid=16857 I have used several brands. I am presently using Seachem "Flourish iron". It is a fresh water additive. Normal marine use would includ maganese in the mix. The above link includes maganese with iron. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michae52 Posted April 9, 2012 Share Posted April 9, 2012 Or you can use Kent Marine Super Chelated Iron that has Manganese which is what I use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subsea Posted April 10, 2012 Share Posted April 10, 2012 What can be used to dose iron? I have a 6500k cf bulb and ever since i got my chaeto it really hasnt grown. Refugium lighting for me is intense. I have 10G refugium with more than 100W of PC bulbs. I push macro the same way I push coral, if I am looking for mass increase. Crank up the watts of 6500K lighting and feed fish and corals heavily. Patrick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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